The province of Málaga concluded the first half of 2026 with an average hotel occupancy of 77.73%, an improvement compared to the 76.41% recorded in the same period of 2025. This increase was achieved despite a drop in demand in February, attributed to adverse weather conditions and the railway disconnection of the AVE to the province.
According to data from the Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa del Sol (Aehcos), the international market continues to be the main driver of tourism, representing 75.32% of accommodated visitors, compared to 24.68% of national tourists. The month of June ended with 89.05% occupancy, slightly higher than the 88.14% in 2025.
The municipalities with the highest hotel occupancy in June were Torremolinos (93.58%), Benalmádena (91.98%), Mijas (90.49%), Fuengirola (90.02%), and Málaga-Rincón de la Victoria (89.79%).
Forecasts for July point to an occupancy of 86.37%, and for August, 84.98%. Aehcos has expressed concern about the August forecast, which represents a decrease of more than seven percentage points compared to 2025 (92.15%), and is confident that last-minute bookings will help mitigate this gap.
Regarding the August forecasts, Torremolinos is projected to be the municipality with the highest expected occupancy (95.88%), followed by Benalmádena (88.36%), Fuengirola (87%), Marbella-Benahavís (86.07%), and Málaga-Rincón de la Victoria (81.21%).
