Costa Blanca summer 2026 ends with tourism records, beach awards and visitor boom

As September draws to a close, the Costa Blanca can look back on a summer that delivered awards, records and plenty of reasons to celebrate.

From affordable package holidays and award-winning beaches to record passenger numbers at Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport, the summer of 2026 brought strong tourism figures across the region, while thousands of visitors also explored its protected natural spaces.

Costa Blanca tops package holiday ranking

British consumer champion Which? put the Costa Blanca top of its original 2026 peak-summer package holiday ranking after comparing 5,393 breaks.

A seven-night August package averaged £864 per person, including flights and accommodation, making the Costa Blanca the only destination in that study to come in below £900.

The result highlighted the coast’s appeal to British holidaymakers looking for a summer break while keeping accommodation and flight costs under control.

Beaches collect Blue Flag and Qualitur honours

The Costa Blanca’s beaches also collected a series of honours during the summer.

Orihuela retained 10 Blue Flags, including La Zenia, Cabo Roig, Campoamor and Mil Palmeras, while Torrevieja retained six.

Five Orihuela Costa beaches also received Qualitur flags recognising standards including quality, safety and sustainability.

The awards provided another boost for coastal destinations during the busiest months of the tourism calendar.

Alicante airport breaks August record

Visitors arrived in record numbers through Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernandez Airport.

The airport recorded its busiest August ever, handling 2,337,378 passengers, an increase of 11.4 per cent compared with August 2025.

By the end of August, 14,739,523 passengers had passed through the airport during 2026, representing an increase of 9.9 per cent.

The figures underline the scale of passenger traffic serving the Costa Blanca and surrounding areas during another busy summer season.

Natural parks enjoy bumper summer

Nature had its own strong season, with Salinas de Santa Pola ranking as the Valencian Community’s third most visited natural park this summer.

The protected area recorded 5,391 registered visitors.

Across the region, natural parks received 94,117 summer visitors, an increase of 19.68 per cent year-on-year.

From bargain breaks and award-winning beaches to record airport traffic and thriving natural attractions, summer 2026 gave the Costa Blanca plenty to celebrate as September ends and autumn arrives on the Mediterranean coast.