Overnight stays in Malaga exceed pre-pandemic levels

As anyone who’s been to Malaga recently knows, tourism in the city is busy and that’s with a capital B. Official visitor statistics have just confirmed this with the news that overnight stays in Malaga in Q3 exceeded those before the pandemic. In other words, Malaga is busier than ever!

Q3 2022 busier than Q3 2019

According to the city’s Hotel Occupancy Survey (EOH), there were 1,144,764 overnight stays in Malaga this summer. The figure is 5.87% higher than in the same three months in 2019.

On the other hand, hotel visitors between June and September this year were slightly fewer than in 2019. However, analysts attribute the comparative increase in overnight stays to longer visits. While in summer 2019, tourists spent an average of 2.05 days in Malaga, in 2022, their stay rose to 2.32 days.

September sees more foreign tourists in Malaga

Hotel occupancy reached 85.20% in September, when almost two-thirds of visitors to the city were international tourists. The 12,554 British visitors took the lion’s share and stayed for an average of 2.53 days. Next were the French with a 2-day stay.

Visitors from the US were the fourth largest group. 5,099 made an overnight stay in Malaga in September and spent 2.13 days in the city. This figure will surely rise next year when direct flights between Malaga and New York resume for the summer season.

Our thoughts on the stats

At Guide to Malaga, we welcome the latest figures because we believe they show a clear move towards “less is more”. We’re firm advocates of fewer visitors to Malaga but for longer stays since this type of tourist spends more money in the city. By extension, they benefit more local businesses and employment.

And of course, staying longer in the city gives you a chance to see and do more!

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