Costa Blanca hotels end summer season with occupancy higher than last year

Hotels across the Costa Blanca are ending the main summer season with higher occupancy than last year, with strong demand from international visitors helping accommodation providers improve on their 2025 figures.

During the first half of August, hotels recorded average occupancy of 92.9%, according to hotel association Hosbec, following another strong month for the tourism industry in July.

Costa Blanca hotels recorded occupancy of almost 93% during August

Hotels recorded average occupancy of 92.9% during the first half of August, providing another positive result during one of the busiest periods of the year for the Costa Blanca tourism industry.

The figures followed a strong July. Hotels and tourist accommodation belonging to the Alicante provincial association APHA recorded average occupancy of 88.6%, up 1.6 percentage points on 2025.

International visitors have played an important part in maintaining demand, helping the province finish July and the first half of August ahead of last year’s figures.

Final occupancy figures for the whole of August have yet to be published.

International visitors help maintain strong demand across Alicante province

While hotels have recorded higher occupancy, tourists are not necessarily staying for significantly longer periods.

The average hotel stay across Alicante province during July was 3.99 nights, compared with 3.87 nights in 2025.

Tourism businesses say shorter breaks and greater movement between destinations are becoming increasingly common, with visitors able to combine several places during one holiday rather than remaining in a single resort or destination throughout their stay.

This changing pattern means strong occupancy figures do not automatically translate into much longer average stays, despite the continued demand for accommodation.

Longer holiday bookings are growing elsewhere in the accommodation market

There is some evidence that longer holidays are becoming more popular in other parts of the accommodation market.

Holiday company Fidalsa reported a 59% increase between January and August in bookings of more than ten nights across the Valencian Community.

The increase contrasts with the relatively modest change in the average length of hotel stays across Alicante province, suggesting different types of visitors are adopting different holiday patterns.

With average hotel occupancy reaching 88.6% in July and 92.9% during the first half of August, the Costa Blanca has nevertheless maintained strong accommodation demand through the heart of the summer season.

Final figures for August have yet to be published and will provide a fuller picture of how the Costa Blanca’s hotels performed during the peak summer holiday period.