Spanish regional tourism reputation declines

According to the LLYC Tourism Perception Barometer, several Spanish autonomous communities experienced a decline in tourism reputation during the second quarter of 2026.

In Cantabria, the reputation score fell from 8.1 points in late 2025 to 6.8 points. Negative drivers included water shortages, the risk of ruinous investments, and a link between tourism growth and deteriorating housing access. Castilla-La Mancha also saw a decline from 7.4 to 6.9, with concerns regarding the saturation of Toledo, the expansion of tourist housing, and perceived poor quality in tourism products.

La Rioja reported a decline to a score of 6.7, a 0.9-point drop from the previous quarter. Digital analysis indicated that the most frequent negative theme involves the social impact of illegal tourist apartments and local discontent regarding the adaptation of regional identity to cater to tourists. Despite these issues, La Rioja remains the eighth-best perceived community in Spain, supported by gastronomy, rural tourism, and enotourism.

In the Valencian Community, the digital reputation of tourism scored 4.9 out of 10 during the same period. While this is a slight improvement from the 4.0 score recorded a year prior, the region remains among the lowest-ranked in Spain. Sentiment analysis showed 43% negative, 29% positive, and 28% neutral. Positive discourse highlighted Valencia as a regulatory benchmark due to implementing what is described as ‘the most restrictive [ordinance] in Spain for tourist apartments’. Negative conversations were dominated by concerns regarding ‘touristification’ and its adverse effects on local housing, commerce, and daily life.