The most economical holidays of the summer: the countries where prices have not yet skyrocketed

Everything has gone up a lot. It is a mantra that we do not stop repeating in any purchase we make: food, gasoline, clothing and leisure. Like a damned magic wand, one more year inflation has multiplied prices and has put holidays in danger in many Catalan homes, many paralyzed by these increases. Precisely for this reason, an unprecedented gesture in the industry took place in the last weeks of spring, when hotels, travel agencies and tour operators began to adjust rates in the main destinations due to the slowdown in bookings for the high season, with drops in places like Mojácar, Mallorca, Tenerife, Menorca and Gran Canaria. Now, at the gates of the month with the highest spending of the year, it is worth bearing in mind that not everything is exactly prohibitive: there are destinations that are quite careful about making the most of travelers, whether for competitiveness or conviction. This year, according to Juan Ignacio Pulido, director of the Tourism Analysis and Innovation Laboratory, there is a moderation of prices by type of destination. "Inland destinations, medium-sized cities, well-connected rural areas and some less internationalized coastal holiday destinations are containing prices better," he explains. According to Pulido, this is due to demand that is more price-sensitive, greater competition among accommodations, and less occupancy pressure. Indeed, many entrepreneurs have understood that continuing to pass on costs to the final price "could slow down bookings, especially in national and family tourism", while in other cases the drop simply occurs because "when occupancy does not accompany, the price adjusts". And here there is a remarkable and quite relevant fact, and that is that the market no longer fully accepts automatic increases as in the years immediately following the pandemic. "We are facing a normalization after several years of very intense increases," he clarifies in view of the fact that the forecast this year is to receive more international tourists and more spending. Thus, to look for cheap destinations, one must look for places with some common features: less saturation, a more diversified offer, and demand that depends less on high-spending international tourists. At the other extreme, destinations with limited supply, high occupancy, and a very consolidated brand continue to have the capacity to raise prices, as is the case with some island locations, major capitals, and premium coastal destinations. For his part, Marcos Franco, an expert in tourism and founding partner of ReiniziaT and ObservaTUR, points out that the underlying idea is that this summer is a year of readjustment in terms of prices and destinations, in which spending and the desire to travel are maintained. "Financing for holidays is another of the items that has also increased in 2026," he assures.

In Spain: the interior and medium-sized cities

As examples of destinations that will not be more expensive this summer, without being able to generalize to all accommodations, Pulido places the coast of Almeria, with Mojácar at its heart; some packages in the Canary Islands and inland destinations such as Jaén, inland Cordoba, Extremadura, and Castilla-La Mancha. Pulido also adds that the best value for money will probably be found in inland destinations, rural areas with good cultural offerings, and medium-sized cities. Also in less crowded stretches of coast and outside the traditional icons. He also adds as an example Castilla y León, inland Aragon, or non-coastal Galicia, enclaves that can offer "very complete experiences at more reasonable prices". Along the same lines, forecasts point to an increase in spending in traditionally less touristy communities. On the other hand, according to ObservaTUR estimates, Franco assures that demand this year is emphatically focused on the coast, and by a significant margin. The beaches of the Mediterranean, the coast of Andalusia, and the Cantabrian and northern coasts concentrate 41% of the choices as a "refuge from the heat", far ahead of cultural and rural trips.

Most attractive international destinations

For their part, the most economical international destinations this year are largely Mediterranean, also with a good dose of beaches. According to Franco, Spain's major Mediterranean competitors and its surroundings "are holding back prices to avoid losing competitiveness against Spain, which this summer clearly functions as a safe haven destination". In this regard, Franco mainly places eastern Mediterranean, the Balkans and North Africa. That is, countries like Turkey, Greece, Cyprus, Croatia, Montenegro, Albania, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. It also includes North Africa, with countries like Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt. However, many travelers this year will choose to stay in the country: the Estiu 2025 report from ObservaTUR indicates that the domestic market reaches a share of 65% of Spaniards' trips, four points more than last year, a fact that also pressures Spain's competitors to moderate prices. This forecast coincides with destinations widely highlighted by various tourism experts on social media, who also include Bulgaria, Moldova, Macedonia, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania in their checklist of affordable places.

Spaces in Catalonia that do not raise prices

However, it is not the destinations that raise or lower prices, but the hotel establishments. While in our country, many establishments have already raised prices to pass on inflation and the costs derived from the geopolitical situation, not all have updated their rates. For example, the manager of the Bèstia Girona restaurant, Martin Sabbatini, says they have opted to maintain prices this summer. While he points out that costs have risen in every way, such as raw materials, staff, or supplies, he indicates that they have preferred to absorb it by working better: "Adjusting the menu to seasonal produce, carefully controlling waste and spoilage, and being more efficient in the kitchen." Sabbatini believes that raising prices is the easy way out in the short term. "We are not naive either; if costs continue to rise steadily, at some point something will have to be adjusted," he admits. Anna Carbonell, co-owner of the Mataró restaurant Casa Parera, recommended in the Guia Repsol and Guia Macarfi, has opted to maintain prices despite being very aware that costs have increased. "We have preferred to adjust internally, better control purchases, reduce waste, and work with great precision rather than automatically passing on every cost increase to the final customer," she says, detailing that precisely for this reason they have hired a program, called Tspoonlab, which helps them to detect every day from the delivery notes all the real increases in products. However, she assures that this commitment is only sustainable if it is accompanied by very fine management, as "a restaurant cannot indefinitely absorb all cost increases without reviewing anything," and what they are now trying is not to react impulsively.

Similarly, the co-owner of the hotel-restaurant in Cabrils, l'Hostal de la Plaça, Vicenç Batista, where they also maintain prices, argues that maintaining prices helps to build customer loyalty, "but it is at the expense of the margin, which in catering is already very low", and this "is not sustainable in the long term". Along the same lines, the chef and co-owner of the restaurant Dvisi in Palamós, Jordi Simón, explains that they maintain prices, but emphasizes that it is a significant effort on their part, as they are increasingly faced with higher costs, such as an increase in taxes, constant rises in the price of products, and great difficulty in maintaining cost stability. "The same ingredient can have one price one day and a different one the next, which makes it very difficult to set menu prices," highlights Simón, who believes that the tax burden supported by the sector should be reconsidered and adjusted. In any case, maintaining prices is a juggling act that not everyone is willing to undertake, even less so when there is a widespread mantra that everything is more expensive today than yesterday.