Sur in English reported a few days ago that “Malaga’s dependence on the holiday trade has reached a new peak, with tourism now accounting for 20.4% of the province’s entire working population” a significantly higher figure than the national average of 12-13%.
According to a report by Turismo Costa del Sol, the travel industry in 2025 accounted for 153,819 jobs in Malaga province, one in five people employed – the main drivers being hospitality (76,000+ jobs) and accommodation (26,000+ jobs). Based on these figures, tourism is now more dominant in Malaga than in almost any other part of Spain.
Despite fears of an end to the post-pandemic “travel boom”, jobs in the industry in 2025 increased by some 12.5% from 2024 – with employment in the third quarter of the year hitting an all-time high – and 2024 was an increase of some 7% on 2023. Apparently, 13,683 companies are now involved in this industry, representing an increase of almost 3%.
Read the full story in Sur here.