More foreigners, longer high season and bookings made earlier: the main trends in tourism in Spain

Greater influx of foreign travellers, an increasingly longer peak season and direct bookings made earlier are some of the trends that will predominate in travel to Spain in the coming years, according to the Hotel Booking Trends 2025 by SiteMinder, the world's leading hotel distribution and revenue platform. The report also reveals the key figures of a record year for Spanish hotels, which consolidates Spain as the second most visited destination in the world after France.

Based on over 125 million online hotel bookings – the largest hotel booking volume from a single technology platform – Hotel Booking Trends indicates that foreign guests accounted for over 60% of hotel arrivals in 2024 and that bookings accelerated despite a 5% increase in hotel room rates, which averaged €212 and peaked at €247 in August.

Although August remained the busiest month in the country, accounting for 11.38% of annual stays, local businesses also benefited from the increasing number of arrivals in May (9.39%, compared to 9.01% in 2023) and October (9%, compared to 8.79%), which extended the high season.

Hotel Booking Trends 2025 also highlights a 6% year-on-year increase in advance bookings, which reached 39.41 days, more than a week longer than the global average.

“Spain’s strong performance in 2024 underlines the country’s continued appeal as a top global travel destination. With over 60% of hotel arrivals coming from international guests and strong room rate growth, it’s clear that travellers continue to view the country as a top choice,” said Tamara Jimenez, Regional Director for Spain at SiteMinder. She continued: “The extension of Spain’s peak season into 2024 also highlights the changing nature of today’s traveller. Preferences and booking behaviours are constantly changing and it’s essential for hoteliers to prioritise flexibility and adaptability. SiteMinder’s data shows that businesses that take a forward-thinking approach – using insights to anticipate trends and respond to demand – are well positioned to not only grow, but set new standards of excellence.”

Top 12 booking channels for Spanish hotels
SiteMinder's report also reveals the top 12 hotel booking channels that generated the most revenue for Spanish properties in 2024:

1. Booking.com
2. Hotel websites (direct booking)
3. Expedia Group
4. Hotelbeds
5. Jet2holidays
6. World 2 Meet
7. Keytel
8. OTS Globe
9. Airbnb
10. Agoda
11. Traveltino
12. Global Distribution Systems

The top seven channels remained unchanged from the previous year, with direct bookings in second place for the sixth consecutive year. This result is remarkable considering that, according to SiteMinder, hotel websites generated an average of €476 per booking worldwide in 2024, outperforming OTAs (€293), global distribution systems (€348) and wholesalers, DMCs and tour operators combined (€409).

Agoda, meanwhile, rose to tenth place, having re-entered the Top 12 in Spain in 2023, driven by an increase in arrivals from all over Asia, a trend that is reflected throughout the world.

SiteMinder’s annual Hotel Booking Trends report is the benchmark for hotel bookings in 20 of the world’s most established destinations. It is based on booking data from SiteMinder’s 44,500+ hotel customers, who in 2024 used the SiteMinder platform to secure over 125 million bookings valued at over
$50 billion in revenue.

Source: SiteMinder.