Tourist Season Begins Early in Benidorm as Costa Blanca Stagnates

As the summer approaches, at least in terms of tourism, the Costa Blanca continues to enjoy its unique relationship with the region's main industry, thanks to the boost from international markets, according to data from the hotel association Hosbec. Although the area has experienced a slight decline compared to May 2024, some destinations, such as Benidorm, have surpassed the figures achieved twelve months ago.

In the tourist capital of the province of Alicante, foreign tourists accounted for 66% of the total visitors to the city in May. Notably, the loyalty of the British is almost equal to that of domestic tourists, who made up just under 35% of the total.

This has allowed the city of skyscrapers to close May with a hotel occupancy rate of 84.7%, marking a growth of seven-tenths compared to the same period last year. In any case, the second half of the month stands out, with Benidorm filling 88% of its beds.

As highlighted by Hosbec, this figure is particularly significant considering that, by the end of May, almost all of its hotel facilities were operational.

When looking at the broader Costa Blanca, the outlook is less positive, as nearly four percentage points have been lost year-on-year compared to the previous May, leaving this fifth month of 2025 with a solid 78.4% average occupancy (compared to 82.3% recorded in 2024).

The hotel association reflects that the decline has been significantly influenced by the performance of the Alicante South area, which dropped from 83.9% in May 2024 to 79.4% in May 2025, with the second half of the month falling to 76.2%.

Here, the domestic market remains the most significant, although it has lost ground to international visitors. In the Costa Blanca, Spaniards represented 40.9% in the second half and 42% for the entire month. The UK follows as the most prominent international origin with 17%, with Belgium, the Netherlands, and Ireland as key source markets.

Further north, in the province of Valencia, May's results also showed a decline compared to the same period in 2024, now recording an 84.4% occupancy compared to 88.2% last year.

Nonetheless, Hosbec officials are pleased that the impact of the aftermath of the storm, particularly in the international market, is diminishing wave by wave. Interestingly, four-star hotels recorded a better second half of May in 2025 than in 2024, although it is in the higher-category establishments, the five-star hotels, where the reluctance of international visitors to the region is still most evident seven months after the disaster.