The continuous heat waves are causing a surprising turn in the tourism industry. The north of the country is stealing prominence during the summer period from the beach areas of Levante and Andalusia. People flee the sweltering temperatures of these areas in search of the green landscapes and cool atmospheres of the Spanish Atlantic regions, even though the Mediterranean coast and the sun and sand are always the most massive influx of tourists in our Leaving aside the case of the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands, which always grows in the summer, the data collected by travel agencies with August in its final stretch, compared with the situation prior to the pandemic, shows that the increase in tourists it is significantly higher in the cities of northern and central Spain than on the Mediterranean coast.
Last July became the hottest month on record. The global temperature rose 0.72°C above average for the month of July, surpassing the previous record set in the seventh month of 2019 by 0.33°C. Ocean warming has also set new records, manifesting in multiple waves of heat in the seas, especially in the Mediterranean and in other areas. This very week we face another heat wave – perhaps the last of the year – before the weather gradually changes.
The pandemic and climate change have caused the northern cities to gain a lot of weight in the influx of tourists, especially nationals, who are looking for more quality and fewer tourists around. Despite the fact that the Spanish Levante continues to add the highest figures, it has not yet reached pre-Covid levels, partly due to the growth in tourism that the northern areas of Spain are experiencing.
“We have noticed that the Spanish are looking for areas in the north due to the continuous heat waves,” says José Manuel Lastra, executive vice president of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies. Travelers seek the refuge of mild temperatures, gastronomic culture, domestic tourism, and get away from the crowds that occur on the Mediterranean coast.
According to data published by Datamania, the entire Spanish Atlantic coast has registered a significant increase in tourists. A Coruña is the province that has experienced the greatest growth since 2019, with an increase of 19% compared to the number of visitors. It is followed by Lugo and Asturias as areas where the increase in travelers is greater than 10% compared to the year before the pandemic. Along the same lines are Cantabria and the Basque Country, which have experienced an increase of 7% and 5% respectively.
On the opposite side is the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea. The case of Malaga stands out, which since 2019 has lost close to 20% of travelers. It has not managed to recover all tourism, despite the economic growth that the province has experienced in recent years. It is followed by Granada and Almería. The only areas that improve figures are Alicante with growth of 1% and Gerona with 2%.
Regarding the tourism of national residents within the country, they will reach about 90% of total trips, according to the INE. The Free Tour Guruwalk platform reports that Barcelona is the city that receives the most tourists, followed by Madrid. On the next step are Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela. The duration of the trips has been reduced. “Inflation has caused trips that used to last 10 days to only take 6 days today,” comments José Manuel Lastra.
The archipelagos maintain the same line that they abandoned before 2020. They continue to be the biggest summer tourist attractions in Spain. The variation in travelers between June 2019 and 2023 has been very positive. In Santa Cruz de Tenerife the number of visitors has registered a growth of 4.9% and in Las Palmas 6.9%. The Balearic Islands increased the figure by 12%.
More contribution to GDP
Although it may be a passing trend, it is a fact that heat waves are transforming Spanish tourism, driving travel to the north of Spain and reducing travel towards the Mediterranean. This can also be seen in the rest of Europe, where trips to northern countries such as Ireland, Scotland, Norway are increasing… According to the European Travel Commission, tourism has fallen by 10% in Mediterranean countries compared to 2022. However, experts agree that, even if the type of tourism carried out in the country changes, Spain will continue to be a power in the sector.
The tourism sector, despite the increase in temperature, continues to be one of the great economic engines of Spain. According to the annual economic impact report of the World Travel and Tourism Council, it is expected by the end of 2023 that tourism will contribute 14.6% to the Gross Domestic Product, 3.2% more than it represented in 2019, the previous year. to covid. However, some traditional markets are falling, especially the United Kingdom, which is showing signs of weakness, still remaining 6.5% below 2019 levels in the first five months of 2023, according to the Tourism Sector Report o 1H 2023 of CaixaBank Research. The high temperatures, added to the macroeconomic situation in the country, has caused this drop. The German and French markets are also showing fragility.
