This is a website for buyers, owners, and sellers of property in Spain, offering reliable information and resources to help you get things done with confidence. It is run by Mark Stücklin, author of the Spanish Property Doctor Column in The Sunday Times (2005-2008), and the book ‘Need to Know: Buying Property in Spain’ published by Collins.
A study by the holiday-home rental platform HomeAway reveals that demand for holiday lets in Spain has exploded this year.
Spaniards themselves are the biggest market for holiday rentals on the Spanish coast. Local demand is up an annualised 52% so far this year, with 77% of enquiries made on holiday-homes in Spain, and 23% for homes outside of Spain.
HomeAway analysed enquiries made by locals and foreigners to evaluate market trends this year.
Spaniards were most interested in Andalusia, accounting for 34% of enquiries, followed by the Balearics (20%), the Valencian Region (13%), Catalonia (11%), Asturias (5%), and the Canaries (4%). As far as the latter is concerned, the Canary Islands are best known as a winter sun destination, so the low level of enquiries for the summer holidays comes as no surprise.
Holiday-home rental demand from Spaniards has also grown strongly this year, up 71% in Catalonia, 57% in Andalusia, and 51% in the Balearics. The average enquiry was for a stay of 8 days.
Spain was the number one international destination for enquiries made at HomeAway based on demand from other countries. The British, Germans and Italians focused on the Balearics, whilst the French were most interested in Catalonia. British enquiry levels are up 78%, followed by Italy , Portugal, France, and Germany. British interest in Mallorca was up 94%, Italian interest in Formentera up 97%, and French demand for the Costa Brava up 46%. German enquiries for Mallorca were only up 14%.
Whilst local and foreign demand for holiday-rentals is exploding, Spanish regulators are doing everything they can to make it more difficult for second-home owners to rent their properties legally to tourists.
Mark Stücklin says:
A reader with five apartments for rent in Javea informs me by email they are having the worst tourist season in over 15 years, saying “it is the absence of enquiries that is the most worrying of all.” He goes on to say that “Shops etc. confirm this unhappy trend.” So HomeAway’s figures as reported in the Spanish press might not be the whole story. However the latest national tourism stats show volume and hotel occupancy up on last year, which was a record year, so it seems there are more tourists about this year than ever before. But some people are not benefiting it seems.