Marbella Tourism in August: A Close to Record Number of Visitors
The view of La Concha from the Puente Romano pier in Marbella was a popular sight in August, the peak tourist month. The municipality of Marbella closed the month with generally positive data. On one hand, the number of visitors nearly broke records, and overnight stays also increased. However, there was a decrease in occupancy and average stay duration, but the average room price and hotel profitability continue to rise.
Hotel Occupancy Survey Results for August
The National Institute of Statistics (INE) has published the Hotel Occupancy Survey (EOH) for the month of August, the most important month of the summer season. The initial conclusion for Marbella is positive, with a significant number of tourists, almost a record, and an increase in overnight stays. However, occupancy and stay duration decreased. Overall, the balance is positive, as the municipality also has more hotel establishments each year.
Foreign Tourism Continues to Drive Numbers
Foreign tourism continues to be key to the figures, as this time, unlike in July, the arrival of Spanish tourists decreased. According to the INE, Marbella received 95,309 visitors who stayed in hotels in August, which is 8,500 more than last year (+9.80%). This figure surpasses that of 2019, before the pandemic (89,179), and is very close to the record set in 2018 with 95,991. The arrival of foreign tourists (69,875) skyrocketed compared to 2022 (59,286), although national tourists (25,434) decreased compared to a year ago (27,523).
Overnight Stays in August
In August, there were 375,879 overnight stays in Marbella, which is 24,730 more hotel nights than last year (351,149). However, this figure is far from the record set in 2015 with 434,181 stays and also below 2019, the last year before COVID-19 (404,449).
Other Data
The room occupancy rate was 80.51%, lower than last year (81.17%), 2019 (87.80%), and the record in 2016 (88.90%). In August, according to the INE, 90 establishments were open, 8 more than in the same month of 2022. The average stay dropped to 3.94 days, compared to 4.05 last year. The record is 5.39 days in 2012.
The revenue per available room (RevPar) in August was 244.54 euros, more than last year (237.08). The average room price in Marbella establishments was 301.66 euros, also higher than in 2022 (229.97 euros). As for the staff employed by the hotels, according to the INE, there were 4,155 workers, fewer than the 4,700 in 2022 and the 5,112 in 2019.
