Automatic

🏨 Spain's hotel investment reached over €4.2 billion in 2023, with €1.535 billion invested in the first half of the year, marking an 18% growth. EY reports that Spain will see at least 800 new hotel establishments with over 76,800 rooms in the upcoming years, with 47% opening throughout 2024. Of the total hotel sector investment, EY was involved in €562 million worth of transactions, including the sale of Six Senses and the purchase of Hotel Presidente in Ibiza with a €40 million investment for repositioning to a 5-star hotel, expected to open in 2025. In 2024 alone, there are at least 376 hotel openings, with Andalusia, the Valencian Community, and Catalonia leading in new establishments. A majority of these openings are 4-star hotels (165), followed by 3-star (52), 5-star (45), and luxury hotels (15), with 54 hotels yet to be classified. Looking ahead to 2025 and beyond, there are 275 planned openings for 2025, 118 for 2026, 15 for 2027, and 16 for 2028 and later, with a focus again on 4-star (157) and luxury hotels (99), and 116 remaining unclassified.

🚧 Protests against negative tourism externalities spread across Spain in 2024, leading to demonstrations. A YouGov survey conducted on June 4-5 reveals that while 69% of Spaniards view tourism positively, critical opinions concentrate in large cities, with 12% having a negative attitude. Concerns over increased tourist arrivals are higher in big cities (48%) than medium-sized ones (24%). Notable issues include increased living costs (43%), more jobs (32%), and infrastructure improvements (19%). Large capitals demand limitations on tourist housing, while medium-sized cities seek off-season promotion. Only 30% in large capitals and 39% in medium-sized ones believe adequate measures are in place to manage tourism's impact. Proposed solutions include improving public transport (47%) and limiting tourist accommodations (46%).