Exceltur notes that in 2025 tourism pressure was reduced, with an **average decrease of 20,000 people per day in the number of Spanish and foreign tourists**, which favored a relaxation of the social rejection climate, in addition to observing a rationalization of tourist homes due to the "greater political commitment" of some destinations.In its report on the sector's situation in 2025 and progress in 2026, the tourism alliance explains that the volume of **residents** continues to grow, "which is the factor that explains 93.5% of the increase in human pressure in the main destinations."
According to its data, the average daily pressure of tourists in Spain fell in 2025 to an average of 7.4 tourists (Spanish and foreign) per 100 residents, down from 7.5 in 2024, which represents a decrease of almost 20,000 tourists per day on average and an increase of 365,000 new residents.
Despite the constant increase in foreign tourists, the drop in pressure is explained, fundamentally, by the lower number of Spanish travelers within the country
Resident Pressure, Greater Than Tourist Pressure
He argues that the incidence of tourism as an explanatory factor for the growing pressure on traffic, housing, and other public services is very limited compared to the arrival of new resident populations, except in some destinations and during peak season.He adds that the increase in average human pressure in Spain from 2019 to 2025 has been 2.3 million people, of which **93.5% was due to an increase in residents and only 6.5% to a greater number of tourists.**Even in autonomous communities like the archipelagos, population growth is the main explanatory factor for greater human pressure, which strains the quality of life for residents
This is the case of the Balearic Islands, where the increase in resident population explains 80.7% of the increase in human pressure on its territory, or in the Canary Islands where demographic growth determines 69.5% of the larger population in the streets, the report adds.
