Spain’s tourism hits new highs: Why shoulder season might not be the bargain it once was
Spain is smashing tourism records yet again.
New figures from Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE) revealed that the country welcomed 11 million international visitors in July – the highest monthly total in its history. It has already recorded 55.5 million arrivals in the first seven months of 2025.
Tourist spending is climbing just as quickly, reaching more than €76 billion so far this year, a 7.2 per cent rise compared with 2024.
Growth may be easing slightly, with July’s numbers up just 1.6 per cent, but Spain’s status as a holiday heavyweight remains unchallenged, fuelled largely by British, French and German travellers.
And this surge is spilling beyond summer, turning September – once a quiet shoulder season – into an extension of peak travel.
September isn’t off-peak anymore
If you’re hoping for a quiet, less expensive September getaway under the Spanish sun, prepare to rethink your plans.
Travel habits have shifted dramatically in Spain. Fewer than 40 per cent of Spanish travellers went on holiday in August, the traditional month off. Instead, roughly one in six Spaniards plan to go on holiday in September this year, according to Spain’s National Observatory of Outbound Tourism (ObservaTUR).
International travellers are doing the same, keeping beaches, bars and resorts busy long after August.
Hotel and apartment prices in the Canary Islands, a bellwether for Spanish tourism, rose 5.3 per cent between September 2023 and 2024. They are now around 25 per cent higher than in 2019, according to the INE.
Across Spain, a night’s stay averaged €132 last September, a 21 per cent jump from 2023.
Visitors aren’t just arriving in record numbers, either. They’re splashing out while in they are there.
The average international tourist spends about €1,490, about €210 a day for trips lasting one week. In total, foreign visitors spent nearly €16.5 billion in July this year.
A boom despite a backlash and natural disasters
Spain’s record-breaking growth comes against a backdrop of mounting anti-tourism protests and environmental concerns.
In the Canary Islands, demonstrators took to the streets earlier this year to highlight housing shortages and environmental damage linked to mass tourism. Protesters have called for limits on visitor numbers, even as the region gears up for another record-breaking autumn season.
Cities such as Barcelona, meanwhile, have pushed back against a swelling tourism industry, cracking down on Airbnb and restructuring the way visitors experience top sites.
At the same time, parts of Spain are facing worsening wildfire risks, with warnings issued in the Canaries this summer as millions of holidaymakers flocked to the islands.
But so far, neither local backlash nor climate pressures has slowed arrivals.
Sunshine, tranquillity and a premium price tag
Despite the higher prices, September in Spain remains irresistible for some. Children are back in school, the weather stays warm but comfortable, and the Mediterranean and Canary Islands still promise late-summer swims and long, al fresco evenings.
There are still savings to be found, too.
Data from Kayak shows airfare from the UK to several Spanish destinations has dropped from 2024, especially when flying into smaller airports along the coast.
Kayak found that six of the ten destinations with the biggest year-on-year price drops are in Spain – led by Puerto del Rosario in the Canary Islands, where round-trip economy class fares from the UK have dropped 26 per cent from 2024 to about €225.
But even cheaper airfare might not mitigate higher prices on the ground, and September in Spain may no longer be the secret bargain it once was.