Spain Hospitality Statistics: Key Insights and Trends [2022-2023]

In this blog, we will delve into key Spain hospitality statistics, by looking at guest feedback indicators and third-party data to offer a comprehensive overview of the sector's evolution in 2022 and 2023.

Known for its rich history, vibrant culture, and stunning landscapes, Spain has always been a popular tourist destination. The hospitality industry plays a crucial role in the country's tourism sector, so understanding the latest statistics and trends is essential for stakeholders. 

In this blog, we will delve into key guest feedback indicators and third-party data to offer a comprehensive overview of the sector's performance. By analyzing this data, we aim to shed light on the current state of the hospitality industry in Spain and provide valuable insights into emerging trends that will shape the sector in the coming years.

Reviews can be a valuable source for getting actionable data on how to improve your guest experience, drive booking, and increase revenue. Check how TrustYou analytics can help you get key insights into your performance, as seen through the eyes of the guests.

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Spain Hospitality Performance Data Sheet 2022-2023

Get access to benchmark indicators for Spanish hospitality based on more than 16.4 million guest reviews. Explore the evolution of review volume, performance scores, response rate, top categories driving improvement, and other key insights.

Spain Tourism Performance 2022-2023

It’s no secret that Spain is a top tourism performer worldwide. The stunning beaches, incredible architecture, and exquisite food make it a traveler’s paradise. This mixture allowed Spain to quickly recover from the pandemic and experience high demand.

In 2022, Spain registered a notable influx of tourists: 247.3 million. Of these, 171.7 million were domestic travelers, while 75.6 million were foreigners. The number of foreign tourists showed a remarkable increase of 89%. Domestic tourism also grew by 12%, almost reaching pre-pandemic levels.

The leading destinations based on the number of visitors were Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, Valencia, and Palma de Mallorca. The capital of Spain recorded an impressive increase - 43%, reaching 14.7 million visitors. Barcelona is next with 9.2 million visitors, and the other three destinations recording around 3 million visitors each. 

The available data for 2023 shows that international tourism continues to be on the rise. 37.5 million international tourists visited Spain in the first half of 2023, just 1.6% less than in 2019.  

Adding to this positive trend, tourists contributed substantially to Spain's economy, spending over 46 billion euros on their trips, a notable rise of 14.3% compared to 2019. 

March emerged as the most popular month for tourism within the first quarter, with Spain receiving approximately 5.3 million international tourists - 30% more compared to March 2022. Remarkably, March alone accounted for half of the total spending in the quarter, generating nearly 6.7 billion euros. This was a 30% increase compared to the previous year.

The United Kingdom was the primary source market for foreign visitors, with almost 1.1 million tourists representing 20.3% of the total. This marked a substantial increase of 29.4% compared to March 2022. Following closely behind were Germany and France, with 673k and 613k visitors, respectively. Germany experienced a growth rate of 10.7%, while France showed an impressive increase of 34.1% in annual rate visitor numbers.

Review Volume Rebounding

To get more insights into hospitality performance, we analyzed more than 16.4 million guest reviews from 2022 and the first half of 2023 from our database.   

We see a notable increase in review volume for July-December 2022 - 30.6%. In the first half of 2023, the review volume registered a similar performance as in the same period the previous year, with a slight growth of 4%, but significantly lower when compared to July-December 2022. 

Review Volume Evolution Spain
Spain Review Volume Evolution, January 2022 - June 2023

A trend we noticed at a wider geographical scale is that review volume growth is slower than other indicators, such as the number of international arrivals or hotel bookings. Not all guests choose to leave reviews after their stays. Since many other tourist providers are looking for travelers’ feedback, consumers have become more selective in leaving reviews, choosing to share only the best or worst experiences they had. That’s why it’s crucial to send live or post-stay surveys to capture more of your guests’ opinions.


35.1% of travelers reading guest feedback are not leaving reviews because they are unaware of a survey or don’t know where to leave a review.


Europe’s Preferred Destination for Conferences & Events

Spain is one of the best locations for MICE organizers, according to a recent study by Turespaña. Various factors, including weather, cuisine, architecture, and nature, make Spain stand out for national and international events.

Organizers prefer Madrid and Barcelona - almost 50% of the MICE activity happens in these Spanish cities. The capital of Catalonia is the fourth city worldwide in terms of number of congresses. 

Performance Score Improving for the First Half of 2023

Performance Score is a great starting point to understand the overall evolution of your ratings. It takes all the reviews you received and calculates an average score over a defined period on a 0 to 100 scale. 

Spain registers an overall good performance in 2022 and 2023. We see the scores slightly down in the second half of 2022, which recorded more guests based on the review volume. In Q1-Q2 2023, the average performance score for the entire country registers the highest level since the beginning of 2022.

The Performance Score is an indicator that usually doesn’t register dramatic increases or decreases, so it’s essential to closely monitor its evolution every month and pay attention to slight changes, even if they represent a less than 1 point increase or decrease. 

Spain Average Performance Score
Spain's Average Performance Score evolution between 2022-2023, based on more than 16.4 million guest reviews.

How Destinations, Hotels & Restaurants Can Stay Competitive and Attract More Travelers with TrustYou 

TrustYou is a renowned software company specializing in data analysis, offering comprehensive insights into customer feedback for hotels, restaurants, and attractions worldwide. Our advanced technology, backed by proprietary semantic processing and AI, provides a wide range of analytics, key performance indicators (KPIs), and data points with endless applications in the travel industry and beyond.

Specifically, our Guest Experience (GX) Platform has become an indispensable tool for hoteliers, restaurants, and destinations. It simplifies the process of listening to customer feedback, empowering businesses to take prompt and effective action. By managing guest feedback effectively, hospitality providers can proactively address concerns, improve their online reputation, and ultimately increase revenue. The GX Platform facilitates seamless communication, enables businesses to understand reviews across various online platforms comprehensively, and leverages positive feedback to influence booking decisions.

Leading hotels and destination management organizations across Europe, the UAE, the Americas, and beyond trust our analytical expertise and rely on the extensive information we provide to assess and monitor the quality of offerings in their regions. TrustYou's content is a benchmark for hotel standards, powers business intelligence and algorithms to measure traveler satisfaction, and guides strategic marketing decisions, including budget allocation.

Contact us today to find out how to keep your visitors happy every step of the way.

Due to the dynamic nature of the database with reviews and hotels being updated, the numbers may vary if data were requested at an earlier or later stage. The report includes rounded numbers for a clearer data representation.

Catalina Brinza

Catalina is a social media and data enthusiast. At TrustYou, she's on a mission to bring the most out of travel and hospitality data. One day, she hopes to experience Japan's culture to its fullest.

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