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At the beginning of the year, apparently “good” news had a second reading for the millions of tourists who use the plane. Since January 1, airlines operating in the European Union are obliged to incorporate 2% sustainable fuel (SAF) on its flights, as part of the Fit for 55 plan To reduce emissions. In Spain, this will translate into an extra cost of 235 million euros In 2025. And yes, that came with a small print: the extra cost was going to be noticed in the tickets. Thus, in Spain a “homelands” vacation was going to get cheaper than cross the puddle.
It turns out that.
Between the Caribbean and the Canary Islands. I told it THE WEEKEND THE COUNTRY. The unstoppable boom of international tourism in Spain is raising vacation prices within the country to levels that touch the absurd. How much? For example, today, spending a week in all inclusive in Gran Canaria, Menorca or Mojácar costs practically the same as flying to the Caribbean.
According to An analysis of the Destinia agency, destinations such as Menorca (2,726 euros per couple) or mojácar (2,694) have reached prices that They hardly differ Of the 2,883 euros that costs to travel to Punta Cana or the 3,094 of Riviera Maya, although the latter involve crossing half a planet.
The great paradox. As we said, this paradox occurs in a context in which the price of the air ticket has not stopped uploading the new European regulations that impose on airlines the use of that 2% sustainable fuelwhich further more expensive long -distance journeys.
However, the overdexanda in enclaves like Balearics, Canary Islands wave Almeria Costa He has triggered hotel rates in Spain to historical maximums, with an average price of 160 euros per night and annual increases 13%.
The price of success. In 2024, Spain reached its absolute record with 94 million tourists foreigners, and everything indicates that in 2025 the 100 million will be exceeded. This flood has generated an unprecedented pressure on the tourism market, with an international demand that grew 23% In the first quarter, while the reserves of national travelers They fell 17%.
The result, and here is the response to the paradox, is an excessive hotel inflation fed by appetite of foreign touriststhat not only seem to have absorbed the available offer, but are willing to pay more for it. Meanwhile, the Spaniards face a summer with prohibitive prices in their own country, which has led many to delay reserve decisions, shorten stays or even value international destinations as Türkiye (2,496 euros in Anatolia), which, despite the obligatory scales, is significantly cheaper.
When the local is expensive. In his report the country had a case that was especially illustrative: Mojácar. We talk about a road accessible destination, without flights or scales, where a week for two people can cost just 189 euros less What tip Cana.
This disparity reveals that the true engine of the increes is not in transport, but In hotelsthat take advantage of the high demand for impose prices unprecedented. Far from adjusting to an economic context marked by the uncertainty and containment of spending, the national hotel sector seems to have found in international tourism a way to maintain its margins, even at the expense of losing the local client.
Intoxicated of success. In short, it could be said that this summer the Spanish tourist points, much to his own success. The national tourist model, based for decades in the Sol and Beach binomial, now faces a Increasing contradiction: His success as a global destination threatens to expel his own citizens of the holiday market. An evil that reproduces in As many nations.
Saturation, pressure on prices and mismatch between offer and purchasing power are leading to the most desired national destinations are less accessible than His exotic counterparts. Thus, in the middle of the mass tourism, there is the great paradox that flying at 8,000 kilometers can leave so expensive (or even cheaper) to enjoy the sea from home.
Image | Pxhere
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