The number of nights spent by Spaniards in rural tourist accommodation increased by 61.7% in March 2021 compared to the same month in 2020. Despite this significant increase, on average only 6.7% of accommodation was occupied.
The National Institute of Statistics (INE) of Spain published the figures on Tuesday.
More Spaniards stay in tourist accommodation in their own country
March 2021 saw a total of 241,491 overnight stays in rural accommodation by Spaniards, of which 210,179 were in Spain. The share has increased by 107.2% compared to 2020. Spaniards also stayed in rural accommodation abroad for 31,312 nights, a decrease of 34.6% compared to March 2020.
Stark contrast to the situation before corona pandemic
From this comparison, both months are affected by the corona pandemic. For a clearer picture, the INE also compared the same period before the pandemic. In March 2021, the number of nights spent in rural accommodation decreased by 61% compared to March 2019.
Still low occupancy rate
Although there has been a significant increase in the number of overnight stays in rural holiday homes this year, occupancy figures are still very sparse. One of the main reasons is the ban on travel between Spanish regions. In March 2021, 6.7% of rural accommodation wasoccupied, an increase of 6.2% from March 2020.
Spanish regions compared
The INE also compared the autonomous regions. From this comparison, Castile and León proved to be the preferred destination for a stay in the countryside with 28,483 overnight stays, a whopping 34.3% more than in March 2020. The community of Madrid, on the other hand, reached the highest occupancy rate of 26.6% of tourists staying in the countryside.
