Turespaña data indicates that between July and September 2026, tourism-related activities added 166,204 more employees than in the same quarter of the previous year. These tourism sector employees accounted for 14.2% of total employment in the Spanish economy. The unemployment rate among active workers in tourism activities stood at 8.5%, one percentage point higher than in the same quarter of 2025.
Key tourism activities experienced growth, except for travel agencies which saw a 2.6% decrease, attributed to changes in CNAE classifications. The hospitality sector recorded a 4.9% increase, driven by accommodation services (5.1%) and food and beverage services (4.8%). Salaried employees in tourism rose to 2,801,135, a 6% year-on-year increase, continuing a positive trend for twenty-one consecutive quarters. Employees saw increases in passenger transport (9.9%), hospitality (6%), and other tourism activities (0.9%).
Foreign workers in the tourism sector increased by 13.7% to 827,879 employees in the third quarter. Employees with permanent contracts (82.7%) grew by 8.4% year-on-year, while temporary employees increased by 4.1%. The temporality rate in the tourism sector was 17.3%, lower than the previous year (15.4% for the Spanish economy). Full-time employees (78.8%) increased by 7.1%, and part-time employees (21.2%) by 2.1%. Self-employed individuals in tourism numbered 450,286, up 1.7%.
Regarding territorial distribution, ten autonomous communities saw an increase in their employed population, including Catalonia, Community of Madrid, Valencian Community, and Balearic Islands. Castilla-La Mancha led growth with 22%. Among primary destination communities, Catalonia registered the highest increase (11.5%), followed by the Community of Madrid (8.9%). Andalusia and the Canary Islands experienced declines, while Ceuta and Melilla saw the largest drop (-15.4%).
