Costa del Sol hotels crossed ten million overnight stays in a single half-year for the first time in 2026 — occupancy 72%, stays lengthening, ADR up 9% — while the UK, Germany and a surging Poland fill the rooms.
Costa del Sol hotels registered 10.3 million overnight stays in January–June 2026 — a first-ever ten-million half-year, +4.2% — on ~72% average occupancy and a 3.44-day average stay, both up two points. Foreign guests crossed eight million nights for the first time; domestic nights grew faster, +6.7% to 2.2 million.
The longer run: Málaga province logged ~19.9 million overnight stays in Jan–Oct 2025, matching all of 2024, with international stays +2.2% offsetting a domestic dip — then 15.8 million nights and 4.3 million travellers in the first eight months of 2026 alone. The coast is Spain's second destination by visitor numbers and third by overnight stays, behind only Mallorca and Tenerife.
Markets: the UK leads by distance (AGP's 6.1M passengers), then Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and France; Poland (+24% hotel guests) and Switzerland (+11.9%) were H1 2026's only double-digit growers. In the city itself, culture anchors the mix: the Picasso Museum held 792,366 visitors in 2025 — nearly 800,000 two years running — and Málaga's hotel occupancy ran above 80% pre-pandemic trend.
The Costa del Sol is quietly repricing itself — plan accordingly. Rates rose 9% in a year to €125.5 average and RevPAR jumped 14.8%, triple the regional pace; the era of the cheap Costa bed is ending, and the value play has moved to shoulder months and inland towns. Seasonality is softening: domestic guests (+6.7% nights) now fill spring and autumn while foreigners (8M+ nights) own summer — book July–August far ahead, but May and October deliver the same weather at softer rates. The market mix is shifting east and north: Poland +24%, Switzerland +11.9% — new direct air links doing their work. And remember the split personality: Málaga city runs on Picasso (792,000 museum visits), tech campuses and city breaks; the coast runs on beaches and golf. The smart trip pairs both — AVE and Cercanías make it one ticket.
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