Tourist accommodations in Costa Daurada and Terres de l'Ebre registered 3.3 million overnight stays between January and April, a 10.2% increase compared to the same period in 2025. This figure represents the best historical start to the year for tourism in the province of Tarragona.
The data also comes outside the peak summer season, in a context where the sector sought to spread activity over more months. The improvement was supported by the pull of sports tourism, the progress of tour operators, and the start of the flight season at Reus Airport.
The Spanish market grew by 9% and brought forward openings for Easter
Berta Cabré, president of the Tarragona Hospitality and Tourism Business Federation, presented the figures at a round table organized by Diari de Tarragona. There, she argued that the first four months of 2026 have seen more tourist activity than ever before.
"We are coming from an exceptional start to the year" - Berta Cabré, president of the Tarragona Hospitality and Tourism Business Federation
Between January and April, overnight stays by Spanish customers in hotels, campsites, and tourist apartments in the province increased by 9%. Easter boosted this rise and brought forward the opening of establishments.
Traditional international tourism also advanced. The province registered increases in Irish visitors of 16.72%, Dutch of 15.37%, French of 8.8%, British of 7.6%, German of 7.04%, and Belgian of 2.33%.
Reus opened flights in March and boosted the Irish, Dutch, and French markets
In early March, Reus Airport launched regular flights with Ryanair and Jet2. This start had a positive impact on three of the markets that grew the most during the first four months: Irish, Dutch, and French.
The forecast for this year involves increasing capacity by 10% at Reus Airport compared to the previous year. The sector's objective is to extend the presence of airlines into the autumn and winter as well.
Cabré linked this evolution to the strategy of distributing demand outside the core summer months. The president of the FEHT maintained that the work to de-seasonalize is beginning to consolidate overnight stays in other periods of the year.
"We are satisfied that all the effort to de-seasonalize is gradually becoming a reality" - Berta Cabré, president of the Tarragona Hospitality and Tourism Business Federation
With the summer campaign in mind, Cabré pointed out that the sector's feelings are good and that the pace of reservations is within the usual range. He added, however, that there is still a lot of space available because last-minute bookings have become more pronounced this year.