Hotel figures reveal that Marbella has become the most expensive destination for tourists in Spain.

According to the most recent figures released by Spain’s National Statistics Institute, MARBELLA is now the most expensive destination in Spain for hotel accommodation.

The data reveals that hotels in the Costa del Sol hotspot commanded an eye-watering €214 per night.

The figure significantly outpaces other major tourist destinations, with Barcelona trailing at €173 and Madrid at €153 per night. Malaga city ranked notably lower at €139.

“We’ve seen record-breaking hotel profitability, with rates soaring to €332 in August and €299 in December,” Marbella’s Mayor Ángeles Muñoz said. 

READ MORE Spain negotiates direct flights between Canada and major tourist Airport

“These figures demonstrate that we have successfully tackled seasonality, while strengthening our positions in new markets. Particularly the United States.”

The luxury resort town broke its own record in eight out of twelve months last year, while also achieving historic highs in revenue per available room, averaging €148 throughout the year, with August peaks reaching €289.

The statistics paint a picture of a booming tourism sector, with hotel occupancy between April and October hovering near 80% – an unprecedented achievement for what was traditionally considered the off-season.

READ MOREWhat is a non-lucrative Visa in Spain? Who can apply?

Visitors numbers also tell a similar story. The city welcomed 719.151 tourists, who accounted 2,584,174 night stays. 

Spanish visitors topped the list with 201.923 tourists, followed by British travellers at 120.685. Germany (33.621), France (33.192), the Netherlands (29.130), Ireland 28.833 and the United States 26.588 rounded off the top five markets.

Tourism Director Laura de Arce emphasized the different lengths of stay among nationalities. 

“Spanish visitors tend to stay an average of 2.65 days per visit, but they are more frequent and shorter, while international tourists on average stay 3.82 days. British, German and Irish visitors usually enjoy the longest stays,” said she.

READ MORE Spain plans to reduce working week to 37.5 hours: Government says it will ‘modernise’ the country

Tourism office in the city has focused its efforts on the American market. A major campaign was launched in New York, which included video displays at Times Square and Hudson Yards. 

It appears that the strategy is working, as US visitors are showing an increasing interest in real estate and tourism.

Muñoz added that these figures ‘reaffirm our leadership and commitment to quality, moving away from mass tourism models’ – a strategy that appears to be paying dividends for the upmarket Costa del Sol destination.