The Spanish non-hotel sector has once again demonstrated its robustness and capacity to adapt, closing the month of May with figures that reaffirm its growth. Driving this dynamism, the tourist flats and the rural tourism have positioned themselves as the major leaders, consolidating the Flexible Accommodation as a fundamental pillar of the country's tourism strategy.
May 2025 recorded an impressive increase of 10,6% in number of overnight stays in non-hotel accommodation compared to the same month of the previous year. This growth is even more significant, as it exceeds by 17.5% May 2019 pre-pandemic levelsdemonstrating sustained recovery and expansion.
Breaking down performance, the tourist flats shone with an increase of 13.2% in overnight stays year-on-year, and a remarkable 23.1% above 2019 data. This boom is due, in part, to demand from travellers resident in Spain, who accounted for nearly 40% of total overnight stays in this segment, although non-residents still account for the majority, with 60,4%. In May, overnight stays of foreign tourists in flats grew by 10.61 Ptt3T YoY.
The rural tourism also experienced a significant rebound, with an increase of 10.3% in overnight stays compared to May 2024. This segment attracts mainly resident travellers, who accounted for the largest share of the total. 76,1% of totalThe project is a national interest in disconnection and nature.
Other types of Flexible Accommodation also showed a good performance: the campsites saw their overnight stays grow by 7,8% in May 2025, with a strong boost from foreign travellers who accounted for almost 60% of the total. The hostelsThe growth of the 5%.
The regions that have benefited the most from this dynamism in the Flexible Accommodation were Canary Islands in tourist flats, concentrating the 27.7% of overnight stays and an occupancy of 86,9% of seats offered. In rural tourism, Castilla y León was the preferred destination, with a remarkable 18.1% of overnight stays and an annual growth of 30.7%.
These data not only reflect the vitality of the non-hotel sector, but also the growing trend towards deseasonalisation of tourism. Demand is spread out beyond the peak season months, and the Flexible Accommodation plays a crucial role in this diversification, offering options for different traveller profiles and contributing to the territorial distribution of tourism profits. The capacity to adapt and the diversity of the extra-hotel offer are, without a doubt, strategic pillars for the future of tourism in Spain.
