Nerja hotels accommodated 44,000 British tourists from January to early November 2026, according to figures presented by Mayor José Alberto Armijo and Tourism Councillor Ana María Muñoz. That is almost 30% more than in the same period a year earlier.
Nerja announced the figures while taking part in the 47th World Travel Market London, held at ExCeL London from 3 to 5 November. The municipality said it had the strongest percentage growth in visitor numbers among municipalities in Málaga province.
Regional hotel statistics put British tourism in Nerja in a wider context. Spain’s National Statistics Institute recorded 143,432 British hotel travellers in Málaga province from January to September 2026, up 3.89% year on year, and 380,493 overnight stays, an increase of 16.11%. Average stays rose from 2.37 to 2.65 days. In September, the province received 19,304 British hotel travellers, up 13.36%, and logged 50,555 overnight stays, up 23.48%, according to figures reported by Europa Press.
Across the Costa del Sol, hotels accommodated 904,241 British travellers in the first nine months of 2026, a 3.6% increase. Overnight stays reached 4,496,347, up 3.1%. The figures, attributed to Turismo y Planificación Costa del Sol and reported by Andalucía Información, put the area’s share at 66.4% of British hotel travellers recorded across Andalucía. Marbella recorded 116,164 British hotel travellers during the same period, up 15.2% year on year; Torremolinos recorded 188,007, up 0.9%.
At the fair, Nerja promoted its destination under the campaign «Nerja, Paradise on the Costa del Sol», alongside the Junta de Andalucía and Turismo y Planificación Costa del Sol. The town also worked with the Fundación Cueva de Nerja on advertising in City AM and Sur in English.
Muñoz said the municipality had met with British tourism companies, including Jet2Com and Jet2Holidays. Nerja’s wider pitch pairs its natural and cultural heritage with local experiences and gastronomy, while also emphasizing leisure and quality of life.
The British market was Málaga province’s leading international source market during the WTM campaign. Málaga Airport recorded 2,526,009 passengers arriving from the United Kingdom between January and September 2026, 4% more than in the same period of 2025. Costa del Sol tourism authorities forecast more than 3.3 million British tourists for 2026, around 2.8% above 2025, and an estimated provincial economic impact of €4.629 billion.
