According to TopRural, Spain’s leading country tourism and accommodation portal, the industry will grow at a rate of 15% over the next five years, with country accommodation increasing from the existing 11,000 establishments to 20,000.
Seasonal industry
Despite the forecast growth, the country tourism industry’s Achilles heel is its acute seasonality, which is clearly shown in an average occupancy rate of 25% and the fact that nearly half of all overnight stays were registered between June and September, during Easter Week and during long bank holidays. Moreover, each autonomous region in Spain had its own regulations and associations, and only 41% of all country establishments are members of the National Association of Country Tourism (ASETUR), which is an additional hindrance.
National and international demand
With 2.2 million, country accommodation represented 7% of all overnight stays registered in Spain last year. National demand made up 90% of overall figures and registered a higher increase than international demand.
The lower growth of international demand was due chiefly to the fact that country tourism is a relatively new phenomenon in Spain, developing over the last 15 years. However, the low-cost airline boom has given a boost to the industry, which has to compete with consolidated markets, such as Belgium, France and Italy. As regards international demand, Germany, France, United Kingdom and Belgium are the Spanish country tourism industry’s most important markets.
