Spain Spread Its Tourists Out Better Than Italy or Greece

Roughly 47 percent of Spain’s tourism activity now happens outside the peak season, according to analysis from The Data Appeal Company presented on October 20 at the Turespana convention in Zaragoza. High season, defined as May through September, accounts for 52.8 percent of activity. The comparison with neighbors is striking: Italy’s high season takes 58.7 percent and Greece’s takes 72.7 percent.

Culture is the main reason people visit Spain in the low season, while family trips and active wellbeing are the fastest-growing motivations. Emerging markets help fill the calendar, with three-year demand growth of 27.8 percent from Argentina, 18.6 percent from Poland and 13.1 percent from Brazil. In the Canary Islands, cultural experiences are up 1.2 points over two years, family tourism up 3.2 points and wellness travel up 2 points.

Off-season visitors also skew upmarket. Mid-to-high and high-end properties attract about four in ten low-season travelers and hold 44.2 percent of hotel stays on the Mediterranean coast and islands, and 58.2 percent in the Canaries. In cities, those hotels capture 64.8 percent of demand, and shopping’s share has risen 4.7 percentage points in two years. Inland, solo travelers make up 39.4 percent of German and 33.5 percent of American visitors.

Average stays vary by region, from 3.7 nights on the Mediterranean coast to 6.6 nights in the Canary Islands, the longest among the areas studied. For travelers, the takeaway is practical: shoulder and winter months in Spain are a mainstream proposition rather than a niche, with more open hotels, steadier flight schedules and fewer of the summer crowds that have sparked protests in popular destinations.

Sources: Travel Daily News