{"id":90147,"date":"2026-09-11T08:45:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-11T06:45:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.urbanitae.com\/?p=90147"},"modified":"2026-09-04T11:52:09","modified_gmt":"2026-09-04T09:52:09","slug":"investing-in-tourist-areas-what-to-look-at-beyond-the-summer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.urbanitae.com\/en\/2026\/09\/11\/investing-in-tourist-areas-what-to-look-at-beyond-the-summer\/","title":{"rendered":"Investing in tourist areas: what to look at beyond the summer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Spain closed 2025 with a new tourism record: 96.8 million international visitors<\/strong><\/a>, 3.2% more than the previous year. Spending also reached an all-time high, with 134.712 billion euros<\/strong>, up 6.8%.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

These figures help explain the real estate appeal of many coastal destinations, islands and cities with strong tourism activity. But a good year for tourism does not automatically turn a location into a good investment. To analyse it, you need to look well beyond occupancy in July and August.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entry price, year-round demand, regulation, management costs and how easy it is to sell the asset can be just as important as the number of tourists the destination receives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From peak season to year-round demand<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

For years, one of the most visible strategies in tourist areas has been to buy a home to generate income through holiday rentals. Strong peak-season demand can make it possible to charge higher rents during certain periods, although that snapshot says little about profitability over the year as a whole.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A highly seasonal destination may record high occupancy in summer and much lower demand during the rest of the year. That is why it is more useful to analyse whether there are several drivers capable of supporting the market: tourism, resident population, economic activity, good connections, second homes or international demand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is also worth distinguishing between different phenomena. Tourism generates demand for accommodation, while home purchases by foreigners generate residential demand<\/a>. They may coincide in the same locations, but they are not the same thing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The latter carries especially significant weight in some Spanish tourist markets. In the third quarter of 2025, foreign buyers accounted for 43.29% of home purchases in Alicante<\/strong>, 31.84% in M\u00e1laga and around 29.5% in both the Balearic Islands and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The most expensive destination does not always offer the highest return<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A real estate investment can generate returns in two main ways: through recurring rental income and through a potential appreciation of the asset.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They do not always move in the same direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Markets with greater international recognition may have very solid demand, but also high acquisition prices. If the purchase price grows faster than rents, gross rental yield compresses<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why a premium location can offer good prospects for demand and value preservation and, at the same time, a lower current yield than other less well-known markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gross yield, moreover, is only the starting point. In a home intended for tourist rental, expenses can carry particular weight:<\/p>\n\n\n\n