Tourism boom: Spain reaches for the first time 3 million employees in the sector

Record figures in the third quarter of 2024 reinforce the key role of tourism for the Spanish economy

The Spanish tourism sector reached a historic milestone in the third quarter of 2024: with 3,019,064 employees, the industry surpassed the 3 million mark for the first time, as Turespaña reports. This corresponds to growth of 2.3% compared to the previous year and makes tourism a key economic driver in the country, accounting for 13.8% of total employment.

Stable jobs, rising figures
The quality of employment is developing particularly positively:

Permanent employment contracts increased
4.3%, while fixed-term contracts
decreased by 5.1%.
Full-time jobs accounted for 79.4%
of jobs - an increase of 4.3%.
The number of self-employed
grew by 2% to 467,629.

The largest increases were recorded in passenger transport (+7%) and the hotel and catering industry (+3.4%).

Regional winners and losers
Catalonia tops the list with 561,972 employees (9.4% more than in 2023), followed by Andalusia, Madrid and the Comunidad Valenciana. The strong growth in less typical tourist destinations such as Cantabria (+16.6%) and Castilla y León (+11.5%) is also noteworthy and underlines the trend towards diversification of tourist destinations.
However, not all regions are benefiting equally: Employment is down in the Balearic Islands, Galicia, Castilla-La Mancha and other areas, highlighting the regional differences in the sector's recovery. Nevertheless, at 8.1%, the unemployment rate in tourism remains well below the national average of 11.2%.

A sector with a tailwind
The record employment figures show how important tourism remains for Spain's economic recovery. With growing stability and a broader distribution of jobs, the sector is better prepared for future challenges - even if regional differences remain an open construction site.