Walter Finch
TOURIST apartment beds in Malaga have exploded to nearly triple the number of hotel beds, as Spain grapples with record-breaking tourism numbers and growing social unrest over mass tourism.
The popular Costa del Sol city now boasts 35,832 tourist apartment beds compared to just 13,612 hotel beds, following a dramatic 19.3% surge in holiday rentals during the first nine months of 2023, according to a new report by tourism industry group Exceltur.
The trend is mirrored across Spain, with ten major cities including Malaga, Valencia, and Sevilla now having more tourist apartments than hotel rooms.
Valencia saw the highest growth, with holiday rentals soaring by 30.2% to reach 32,961 beds – significantly overshadowing its 20,216 hotel beds.
There were 344,397 beds recorded in tourist apartments across Spain between January and September 2023 – an annual growth of 17.5% – compared to the 404,914 places in hotels, which only grew by 2.9%.
This explosive growth has sparked protests against overtourism and Airbnb-style rentals across several regions including the Canary Islands, Balearics, Catalunya, and Valencia, the report reveals.
The findings come as Spain celebrates another record-breaking tourism year, with 94 million visitors spending an unprecedented €126 billion in 2024.
The tourism sector is projected to generate over €224 billion in 2025, representing 4% growth and 13.5% of Spain’s GDP.
However, industry leaders warn that uncontrolled growth of tourist apartments, along with new traveller registration requirements and climate-related issues, could threaten future growth.
Spain’s tourism authorities are now pinning their hopes on a new Digital Single Window for Rentals (Ventanilla Única Digital de Arrendamientos), managed by property registrars, to curb illegal holiday lets.
The system aims to prevent digital platforms from advertising properties without proper registration numbers.
Looking ahead, tourism companies expect a 5.6% growth in sales for 2025, driven by strong European and domestic demand, record numbers in the Canary Islands, and the recovery of pre-pandemic visitor levels from the US, Latin America, and Asia.
READ MORE: Tourist flats in Spain cause long-term rents to surge by more than 30%, study finds
Airlines are particularly optimistic, forecasting a 9.8% increase in turnover, despite facing an additional €235 million in costs due to sustainable fuel requirements.
The industry body has presented a ten-point plan to the government, calling for urgent measures including the approval of a Sustainable Tourism Strategy for 2030 and the creation of a working group to manage tourist flows without resorting to new taxes or hasty restrictions.
