7 Sep, 2023 @ 12:07
1 min read

EXC: Many restaurants ‘are down by up to 20%’ on Spain’s Costa del Sol this summer despite record visitor numbers

People eating
Juanma Moreno

RESTAURANTS along the Costa del Sol have reported earning up to 25% less this summer despite record visitor numbers. 

Just over 10 million people arrived at Malaga Airport between January and June, a year-on-year increase of 23.3%. 

The figures are also a 9.2% jump on 2019, which was the last record year before Covid wrought havoc on the industry. 

Despite this, the owner of a popular rib restaurant in the centre of Marbella claimed he expected to be down by ‘around 15%’. 

He told the Olive Press: “It’s a shame because there are so many more tourists this year but everyone is down. 

People eating
Just over 10 million people arrived at Malaga Airport between January and June, a year-on-year increase of 23.3%. (Stock image)

“Lots of places on the paseo are seeing profits fall, some by as much as 25%, compared to 2022.

“I think people are tightening their belts and eating more at home, especially the Brits who are dealing with a cost of living crisis and inflation back home.” 

The story was the same in San Pedro de Alcantara, a small town just a few kilometres west of Marbella. 

One owner of a top restaurant told the Olive Press: “People are just not spending like they did last year. 

“Places are down by 10-20% but we have to remember that 2022 was an amazing year, it was like an explosion after all the Covid lockdowns, that is always going to be hard to beat.”

In the first half of 2023, Brits were by far the biggest visitor, accounting for just over 2.4million. 

Germany followed in a distant second with 703,698 visitors, while 635,208 people flew in from Holland.

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Brits could soon fly to Spain in world's biggest aircraft dubbed 'The Flying Bum'
Previous Story

Brits could soon fly to Spain in world’s biggest aircraft dubbed ‘The Flying Bum’

Next Story

Dwarf bullfighters slam ‘do-gooder’ activists who shut down their comedy show in Spain: Troupe insists performance is ‘not degrading’ and that ‘no animals are harmed’

Latest from Food & Drink

Go toTop

More From The Olive Press