Sun and beach tourism is evolving towards a more sustainable and diversified model, a transformation process that involves betting on the internationalisation of the accommodation value proposition, working on sustainable tourism projects and the diversification of experiences to attract new segments and make stays more profitable, as demonstrated by our most recent analysis.
We presented this data during the event in which Lloret de Mar and its mayor, Adrià Lamelas, officially assumed the presidency of the Alliance of Sun and Beach Tourist Municipalities (AMT Sol y Playa) for 2025. This Spanish entity brings together the pioneering municipalities in this segment, which include Adeje, Arona, and San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Canary Islands), Benidorm (Valencian Community), Calvià (Balearic Islands), Lloret de Mar and Salou (Catalonia), and Torremolinos (Andalusia).
“Enjoying fair weather is, and will remain, a fundamental driver for both Spanish and global tourism. This sector is evolving toward a sustainable growth model which, as demonstrated by AMT destinations, is focused on transforming its value proposition through innovative management grounded in data intelligence,” states Carlos Cendra, partner and Marketing and Communication Director at Mabrian. According to data from The Business Research Company published in September 2024, sun and beach tourism is projected to grow at a compound annual rate of 6.7% over the next four years.
Adrià Lamelas, mayor of Lloret de Mar and new President of the AMT, highlighted the Alliance’s commitment to innovation and sustainability: “Our mission is to ensure that sun and beach tourism evolves towards a model that benefits both local communities and visitors. We are committed to offering unique and diversified experiences that allow us to compete successfully in an increasingly demanding global market, while moving towards a more responsible and balanced tourism.” Likewise, the president highlighted the importance of committing to a tourism model that guarantees the wellbeing of tourists and residents, a challenge that “is key for the future of tourism, not only for the destinations in the alliance, but for global tourism as a whole.”
Good Weather, A Strategic Asset
This year-round climate perception stability can play a key role in reducing seasonality by attracting alternative segments with greater flexibility in choosing travel dates, such as couples or solo travellers, who currently account for 39% and 10% of demand, respectively. “The alliance’s destinations are already progressing in reducing seasonality, a goal that Spain as a whole is pursuing and attaining, with initiatives designed to distribute demand more evenly throughout the year,” explains Cendra.
To optimize the use of climate as a strategic asset, our analysis emphasises the importance of understanding the Climate Perception Index by source markets. This approach can help identify varying levels of sensitivity to climate factors among different markets, enabling a more targeted and effective segmentation of awareness and promotional campaigns, tailored based on travellers’ satisfaction with weather conditions at the destination. “We know that French, British, and American travellers are the most sensitive to extreme weather conditions in Spanish destinations, creating opportunities to attract visitors from these countries during seasons with milder temperatures,” explains the expert from Mabrian.
AMT destinations also have an added advantage for extending peak seasons: a robust air connectivity network, which represents 38% of the total number of direct international air seats to Spain in the last 12 months. As Mabrian’s analysis highlights, “having a significant volume of demand and the trust of airlines facilitates the extension of flights beyond the peak season. Extending an existing route is far easier than creating one from scratch: this factor is crucial for attracting alternative segments of international visitors,” explains Carlos Cendra.
82.5% of the available airline seats in the last 12 months across the eight AMT destinations are operated by low-cost airlines or charters, which have seen an 11.6% increase compared to the same period the previous year. In contrast, low-cost airlines and charters in Spain account for 67.6% of the total airline seats. The percentage of seats managed by traditional airlines to Spanish destinations (32.4%) is nearly double that of the AMT municipalities (17.5%), which grew by +8.6% compared to the previous year, 1.2 percentage points less than Spain.
The Key to Repositioning: Renewed Experiences and Global Hotel Brands
28% of the hotels in the eight destinations of the alliance are managed by hotel chains, with 15% of them operated by international hotel chains, nearly double the proportion found in Spain.
“The higher the percentage of international hotel brands, the more opportunities there are to attract alternative segments during mid and low seasons, leveraging their international marketing and promotion channels. These channels are key to addressing one of the main challenges faced by some AMT destinations: reducing their dependency on markets of origin,” emphasizes Carlos Cendra. In this context, the potential of the 5-star and luxury segment stands out: according to a recent McKinsey & Company report, 63% of high-impact travellers opt for sun and beach destinations, yet only 20% of the global hotel supply in these destinations caters to this high-end market.
Reducing dependency on source markets also requires an effort to lessen motivational dependency. The eight sun and beach destinations analysed are progressing at different speeds in this regard, and they must capitalise on global and European tourism trends, which are increasingly focused on experience-based travel, with a rising prominence of blue tourism. According to estimates from the Blue Tourism Initiative, this type of tourism already represents 50% of global tourism.
As shown in our analysis of sun and beach tourism, following the pandemic, trips motivated by the desire to discover and enjoy experiences at the destination—such as active tourism, gastronomy, nature, and wellness—have increased by 8% globally and in Europe. This trend presents new opportunities to diversify demand drivers by combining the traditional sun and beach experience with complementary segments, such as active tourism, gastronomy, or culture. This diversification helps boost spending at the destination and extend the duration of stays. In fact, as Mabrian’s expert points out, “The average stays of European travellers who choose one of the eight destinations of the alliance are very stable, both in high and mid-season, which suggests that the price factor may present opportunities for adjustments to make stays in mid and low seasons more profitable.”
Finally, we identified Hurghada (Egypt), Agadir (Morocco), Crete (Greece), Zagreb (Croatia), and Bari (Italy) as the five main competitors to the eight destinations in the alliance for the first half of 2025. This is based on a cross-analysis of the major airlines connecting the largest European source markets to these destinations and the increase in scheduled air capacity to alternative destinations: other coastal towns in Italy, Greece, Malta, and Croatia are also featured in this competitors’ list to closely monitor.
Tags:The Alliance of Sun and Beach Tourist Municipalities (AMT Sol y Playa) Carlos Cendra, Mabrian
