Andalusia sees steep tourist drop in July amid Euro 2024 and heatwaves
In July 2024, the number of tourists visiting Andalusia decreased by over five percent compared to the same time in 2023. This is the lowest result in two decades, excluding the pandemic period. There could be several reasons for this.
According to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in Madrid, in July, the number of tourists in Andalusia - Spain's most populous autonomous community - fell by 5.2 percent compared to 2023. This is the most significant drop in 20 years, excluding the pandemic period.
The largest drop in the number of tourists was observed in the provinces of Cadiz (10 percent), Cordoba (9 percent), Malaga (6 percent), and Huelva (4 percent). Only the provinces of Seville (an increase of just over 1 percent) and Jaén (5 percent) attracted more tourists than in the same period the previous year.
Why are there fewer tourists in Andalusia?
The President of the Federation of Hotels and Gastronomy of Andalusia, Javier Frutos, indicates that Euro 2024 is the main reason for the decrease in the number of tourists.
"Many chose to travel to Germany, and that reduced tourism on the Andalucian coast," said Frutos, quoted by the portal The Olive Press. Other possible reasons include rising prices and heat waves, which could also have contributed to the decreased interest in Andalusia.
Despite the drop in the number of tourists in July in Andalusia, the Spanish tourism industry still hopes for record results this year. Despite ongoing protests throughout the country, Spain could be visited by a total of 95 million tourists this year.
So far, the record year for the number of tourists was 2023, when over 85 million people visited Spain. According to forecasts from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), this number is expected to increase by 10 percent in 2024.
Protests against mass tourism continue in Spain
Not all tourists will be welcomed with open arms. "Spain — one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world — has seen a growing number of protests against mass tourism," reports the Spanish portal El Pais.
Spaniards protested on the Canary Islands, in Malaga and Barcelona. Activists in Seville are demanding that authorities implement a moratorium on issuing new licenses for tourist-use apartments (Spanish: viviendas de uso turístico, VUT).
Tourism accounts for over 10 percent of Spain's GDP, and according to the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC), its share in the Spanish economy will grow to 17 percent of GDP by 2034.
