The Costa del Sol Hotel Business Association, Aehcos, has raised alarms regarding the economic repercussions stemming from the rail isolation in Andalusia. They claim this situation is adversely affecting coastal tourism, leading to losses exceeding €300 million in Málaga’s tourist accommodation bookings and a declining demand for domestic tourists.

The hotel sector reported a potential decline in bookings by up to 20% in Málaga during the initial months of the year and urgently calls for measures to restore connectivity and maintain the destination’s competitiveness. This concern was voiced during the recent Permanent Commission of the Costa del Sol Tourism Forum held at the Costa del Sol Tourism headquarters, expressing worries over the delay in resuming high-speed rail services between Madrid and Andalusia caused by the Adamuz accident, leaving the province without complete high-speed rail connectivity and no official date for resumption.

Booking Decline

According to Aehcos, the slowdown in tourist demand in the first quarter of the year, extending into early April, has caused a drop in bookings by between 15% and 20%, translating to more than €300 million in losses for tourist accommodation in Málaga province. The capital of Málaga shows over a 20% impact, while the interior of the province ranges between 15% and 20%, and the coast is below 15%.

‘Considering that the months of January, February, and March account for 21% of the total annual impact on the tourist accommodation sector, the business forecasts for the first quarter of 2026 were estimated at around €1.75 billion by the end of December last year. However, taking into account the demand slowdown for the first three months of the year and extending to Holy Week, the current forecasts indicate a decline of between 15 and 20%. The losses in the domestic market would approximate €255 million (80%) plus around €45 million from international tourism,’ detailed José Luque, President of Aehcos.

Andalusian Key

The suspension of over 31,000 daily train seats in the Madrid-Andalusia corridor, increasing travel times from two and a half to over six hours by road and over five hours for intermodal travel, coupled with uncertainty over reopening, is diminishing the destination’s competitiveness and particularly hindering short getaways, urban tourism, and the MICE segment. The rate of incoming reservations is further decelerating by nearly 30% in the early months of the year.

Consequences of Recent Weather

As specified in a report by José Luque, President of Aehcos, recent rainfall has led to a decline in tourist satisfaction and damages to various hotel establishments, particularly in Ronda and the Guadalhorce Valley, with initial estimated losses of around €1 million, additionally undermining trails and access linked to active tourism.

However, the situation of the reservoirs has notably improved, tripling the levels of 2025 and ensuring supply for the next five to six years. In light of this, the association emphasizes that this improvement should not deter planned investments in purification, network modernization, desalination, and water efficiency.

Beach Committee

The severe weather has left an exceedingly precarious situation on the western coastline, causing sand loss, damage to infrastructures, and destruction of coastal walks and parts of the Coastal Path. Consequently, industry professionals consider it essential to urgently convene a Beach Committee to coordinate regeneration, coastal stabilization efforts, and medium-to-long-term planning to prevent compromising the high season. José Luque has reminded stakeholders that beaches represent one of the destination’s ‘main assets, necessitating urgent structural actions, as their deterioration jeopardizes the competitiveness of the Costa del Sol, especially looking ahead to summer.’