In Spain, the year starts with more people employed in the tourism sector - Get updated on what's happening in tourism!

The temporary employment rate in the tourism sector fell by 1.1 percentage points to 13.7%, which is lower than the overall rate for the national economy, standing at 14.8%.

In this first quarter, the number of people employed in the tourism sector increased in fourteen autonomous communities.

Tourism employment maintained its strength at the beginning of 2026, driven by growth in permanent employment and a reduction in temporary work. In the first quarter of this year, the sector recorded 2,934,334 employed workers, representing a 5.3% increase compared to the same period in 2025.

Between January and March 2026, according to data published today by Turespaña, tourism-related activities recorded 146,631 more employees than in the same quarter of the previous year. Employment in the tourism sector during this period accounted for 13.2% of total employment in the Spanish economy.

In addition, the unemployment rate among those active in tourism-related activities was 11.3%, 0.8 percentage points lower than in the same quarter of the previous year.

Continued Growth in Wage Earners

In this first quarter of the year, the main tourism activities experienced growth, except for travel agencies, where there was a decline of 15.4%. In hospitality, employment increased by 4.2%, driven by positive developments in both accommodation services (7.9%) and food and beverage services (3.1%).

The number of salaried employees in tourism during this period reached 2,487,670, marking a year-on-year increase of 6.9%. This continues the upward trend seen over the previous nineteen quarters. These salaried workers increased in passenger transport (7.1%), hospitality (5.3%), and other tourism activities (12.5%). Within hospitality, both accommodation and food and beverage services saw growth. Within other tourism activities, travel agencies recorded a decline of 14%. The wage-earner rate (salaried employees as a share of total employment) stood at 84.8%, 1.3 percentage points higher than in the first quarter of the previous year.

Increase in Permanent Contracts

Salaried employees in the tourism sector with permanent contracts (86.3%) increased by 8.2% year-on-year, marking the nineteenth consecutive increase. Meanwhile, salaried employees with temporary contracts decreased by 0.8%.

Accordingly, the temporary employment rate (temporary salaried employees as a share of total salaried employees) in the tourism sector stood at 13.7%, 1.1 percentage points lower than in the same period of the previous year. The overall temporary employment rate in the Spanish economy stood at 14.8%.

Regarding working hours, full-time salaried employees accounted for 74.5% of total salaried workers and increased by 5.7%. Part-time salaried employees increased by 10.5% and represented 25.5%.

Self-employed workers in tourism totaled 446,390, representing a decrease of 2.9% compared to the same period of the previous year, with declines in hospitality (-1.5%), passenger transport (-8.8%), and other tourism activities (-2.3%).

Basque Country and Valencia Lead Growth

In terms of regional distribution, employment increased in fourteen autonomous communities, including Andalusia, the Community of Madrid, the Valencian Community, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands, while it declined in the remaining regions, including Catalonia.

The Basque Country recorded the highest growth at 15.8%, followed by the Valencian Community (14.5%) and Andalusia (13.9%). On the other hand, Catalonia recorded a 7.1% decrease in tourism sector employment.

Picture Credit: Ministerio de Industria y Tourismo