Brits are the primary overseas vacationer to the Costa del Sol. Guess who’s now the second.

After the Brits, guess which nation is the second most essential in holiday-making within the Costa del Sol? It’s not German, Dutch, French or Scandinavian. And so they don’t come on the lookout for nightclubs, karaoke, or crowded seashores. Most of them usually are not on the lookout for meals identical to they get again house or watching Premiership matches on the large display. As of November 2025, the second greatest holidaying nationality flying into Malaga airport is from america!

As soon as the Costa del Sol’s attraction got here not solely from its pristine seashores, beautiful, but easy delicacies, and laid-back and welcoming folks. In addition to that, as soon as, the bang-for-buck change charge between the peseta and pound, or peseta and krona, was spectacular. You could possibly reside like a king for a lot much less, spend money on a vacation house, and pay for it by renting it out whereas not in Spain. Nevertheless, with modifications in economies, modifications in guidelines, and modifications in change charges, Spain is nowhere close to as low-cost because it as soon as was for a lot of in Europe. Enter the greenback!

Individuals get extra bang for his or her buck

In November, america established its place as the second-largest worldwide supply of vacationers to Malaga Province, with 7,718 American vacationers staying in resorts and producing 14,345 in a single day stays, trailing solely the UK’s huge 13,554 travellers and 32,808 nights. This marks a significant change, because the US has now overtaken conventional European powerhouses like Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Scandinavian nations within the Costa del Sol’s resort sector for that month, a development that echoes what additionally occurred again in June.

Year-to-date, until November, American guests have rocketed to 83,752 resort stayers with 173,451 in a single day stays, which displays a wide ranging 10.82 per cent enhance in arrivals and a 4.31 per cent rise in in a single day stays as a complete in comparison with the identical interval in 2024.

American vacationers totally different tastes

In contrast to many European guests, notably from the UK, Germany, or the Netherlands, who usually take shorter, extra budget-focused journeys with common stays of two.27 to 2.46 days and should gravitate towards livelier nightlife, all-inclusive resorts, or acquainted comforts like pub-style leisure – Americans tend to seek a extra refined and immersive expertise within the Malaga Province and broader Costa del Sol. They’re drawn to the area’s year-round sunshine, pristine Mediterranean seashores for relaxed lounging slightly than packed occasion scenes, and the greater than 70 world-class golf programs.

Luxurious hotspots like Marbella and Sotogrande supply yacht marinas, high-end procuring, and connoisseur eating that evoke a extra glamorous, Riviera-like escape at an inexpensive value in contrast at present to within the US. Whereas cultural pursuits in Malaga’s historic core, resembling exploring Picasso’s birthplace, the Alcazaba fortress, or close by whitewashed villages like Mijas, Casares and Frigiliana, present an genuine style of Andalucian heritage. Recent seafood tapas in beachside chiringuitos and day journeys to iconic websites like Ronda or Granada’s Alhambra spherical out the attract, emphasising high quality over amount of their itineraries.

This demographic shift alerts a broader evolution in Costa del Sol tourism: as soon as dominated by mass-market European package deal holidays targeted on solar, sea, and socialising, the area is more and more attracting prosperous, experience-seeking travellers from throughout the Atlantic. Improved direct flight connectivity from the US to Malaga Airport has fuelled this alteration, with Individuals now comprising a rising share of the worldwide combine (87,045 travellers in November, up 11.24 per cent).

As total resort keep charges hit 77.78 per cent in November and 82.59 per cent year-to-date, the inflow of longer-staying, higher-spending US guests, usually with pursuits in wellness, journey, and cultural depth, is diversifying the customer profile, decreasing seasonal dependency, and elevating the province’s premium positioning within the world journey market.