Spain’s new normal: Holidays on credit (but 100 million tourists can’t be wrong, right?)

Spain is gearing up for a historic tourism milestone: over 100 million visitors in 2025.

But besides these huge numbers, there’s a different story, a financial one.

A Spanish summer now feels more like a financial workout than a break.. Flights, hotels, dinners by the beach, everything’s gone up. Again.

Flying high, so high

Flights are now the biggest pain point of planning a trip. Airfare has jumped 12 per cent in just one year, according to Spain’s national statistics agency (INE), marking the fourth straight summer of increases.

Fuel costs and post-COVID inflation pressures are pushing prices higher, especially after the Ukraine war triggered a surge in global energy costs. Before that, summer price hikes rarely exceeded 2 per cent. Now, airlines are catching up, and hard.

Trains, ferries, and everything in between

But there’s not just the flights. Train tickets didn’t escape the trend either, climbing 5.5 per cent this summer. Until recently, they were subsidised and inflation-proof. Not anymore.

Ferries? Also up 7.4 per cent, although not as dramatic as last summer’s shocking 26.9 per cent spike. Since 2020, prices for sea travel have been on a steady climb. The bad part is that they show no sign of dropping.

OK, gas is cheaper, but there’s a but

Drivers get a tiny break. Petrol is down 8.2 per cent, diesel by 4.6 per cent—good news for the nearly 100 million road trips expected across Spain this July and August.

But there’s a catch. 52 per cent of Spanish roads are in poor condition, according to the Spanish Road Association, which means more gear shifting, braking, and accelerating.

Hotels rates are hotter and hotter

The average hotel room in Spain now costs over €130 per night, the highest ever recorded. That’s 5 per cent more than last summer and a jaw-dropping 39 per cent more than in 2019, before the pandemic.

Luxury gets hit the hardest. A 5-star stay now averages €308 a night, up 48 per cent since 2019. Even 3- and 4-star hotels have seen rates surge 34 per cent, regularly topping €100 per night.

Dinner, drinks and downtime: Yep, all more expensive

A beachfront meal or night out will now cost you 4 per cent more than last year. Cultural events and leisure activities? Up 2.4 per cent, marking the fifth straight summer of increases.

And it’s not just local inflation. The ongoing tariff war sparked by Donald Trump could slap 15 per cent taxes on EU–US imports, pushing up prices on everything from wine to fashion.

Spaniards cut trips. Foreigners spend big

In this context, locals are scaling back. Spaniards are taking shorter trips and spending less time away to soften the blow. Still, they’re spending more: the average Spanish tourist now drops €321 per trip, 61 per cent more than five years ago, but for breaks that barely stretch past three days.

Meanwhile, foreign tourists are spending big. Their average spend per trip is €1,382. In May 2025, for the first time ever, daily foreign tourist spending broke the €200 barrier.

The biggest spenders? Nordic travellers, with an average of €1,387 per visit, followed by Brits and Germans (over €1,100), then the French and Italians (around €800).

Vacations on credit: the new normal?

More people are now financing their holidays, according to El Mundo. Vacation loans rose 16 per cent in 2024, according to Spain’s credit agency ASNEF, a trend that’s been growing since post-pandemic travel returned.

Yet despite that, 2 in 10 workers say they can’t afford a holiday in Spain at all, citing not just stagnating wages, but soaring rents and property prices that eat into any savings.

All in all, Spain is still Spain. Sun, excellent lifestyle and, probably, the best country in the whole world. But the carefree beach break? That’s getting pricey.

So, how much are you willing to pay for your Spain holiday? Tell us in the comments.

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