The affiliates linked to tourist activities increased in the month of August by 69,580 people (+2.3%), reaching around three million workers, according to the data released this Monday by Turespaña.
When compared to the labor market of the entire Spanish economy, which in that same month advanced by 2.1% year-on-year, employment related to tourism represents 13.8% of the total affiliates to Social Security.
The behavior by sectors was especially positive in hospitality, where there was an increase of 37,584 affiliates, with 13,929 more in accommodation services and 23,655 additional in food and beverage services.
Behavior of salaried workers and self-employed
On the other hand, the evolution in travel agencies was negative, registering a decrease of 1,972 workers. The Ministry of Industry and Tourism clarifies that the figure for travel agencies does not reflect a real decline, as it is influenced by the modifications made in the CNAEs, which have reclassified some activities that were previously classified under the heading of "travel agencies" into other categories.
In August, the number of salaried workers in the tourism sector (which represent 83%) increased by 2.5% compared to the same month of the previous year. By activity sectors, salaried employment decreased in travel agencies and tour operators (fell by 2.2%) and increased in hospitality (2.1%), and within this, it also increased by 2.1% in accommodation services and in food and beverage services.
For its part, self-employed employment in tourism, which represents 16.9% of the total affiliated workers, increased by 1.4%. In the hospitality activity, there is an increase of 0.8% due to the rise in accommodation services (16.4%) and a drop of almost half a point in food and beverages.
In travel agencies, there is a year-on-year decrease of 4.2% in the number of self-employed, a drop also influenced by the change in the CNAEs. In August 2026, employment in the entire hospitality sector, travel agencies, and tour operators increased in all Autonomous Communities, except in Extremadura, Cantabria, and Castilla y León.
In absolute figures, the largest increase occurred in the Community of Madrid (a growth of 7,887 affiliates). In relative terms, the largest increase also took place in the Madrid region (3.3%).