Foreign visitors accounted for nearly 80 per cent of arrivals as overnight stays, room rates and tourism-related employment all increased year on year
Añádenos en Google Hotels in Marbella registered nearly 79,000 visitors in April. (SUR)Marbella
01/06/2026 a las 17:19h.Marbella welcomed more hotel travellers in April than in any previous April on record, according to the latest figures from Spain's National Statistics Institute ( ... INE).
Hotel establishments in the Costa del Sol resort welcomed 78,711 travellers during the month, a 28 per cent increase on the 61,346 visitors recorded in April last year.
The figures show that 62,690 visitors came from overseas markets, while 16,021 were domestic tourists, meaning that around eight in every 10 travellers were international visitors.
The data also revealed a significant rise in overnight stays, reaching 262,017 in April, up from 227,793 in the same month in 2025.
Laura de Arce, Marbella council's director general for tourism, said the figures demonstrated the continuing importance of international tourism to the municipality.
"These figures show that the international market continues to be one of the main driving forces of our town," she said.
Year-round tourism
De Arce added that the results reinforced Marbella's position as one of the Mediterranean's leading premium tourism destinations, citing market diversification, improvements to the tourism and hotel offer and a commitment to a sustainable and profitable model that creates quality employment.
Hotel occupancy reached 72.26 per cent in April, compared with 68.55 per cent a year earlier. The figure also exceeded the level recorded in 2024, when occupancy stood at 71.62 per cent.
"This performance confirms the destination's strong appeal even during the mid-season period and strengthens the deseasonalisation strategy we've been promoting," De Arce said.
Increased profitability
Profitability indicators also improved. The average daily rate (ADR) rose to 200.14 euros, up from 188.62 euros in April 2025, while revenue per available room (RevPAR) reached 145.45 euros.
Employment linked to the hotel sector also increased sharply. Hotels employed 4,502 workers in April, compared with 3,059 in 2025 and 3,047 in 2024.
"The evolution of all these indicators confirms the strength of Marbella's international positioning and its ability to attract high-value tourism throughout the year," De Arce added.