Record occupancy at Spanish campsites: domestic tourists own this summer

Campsites at 100%: domestic holidaymakers rescue August

August 2026 will go down in the list of strange records: Spain's campsites are hanging up the full sign. Occupancy is close to 100%, driven by domestic customers who come back summer after summer, according to the Spanish Camping Federation (FEEC). Behind the figure lurks the awkward question: how much does a week of low-cost holidaying really cost?

The final tally was laid on the table by a family of five: €1,250 for seven days in Salou. Petrol, activities, the shopping basket from the Mercadona next door and a pitch with bathrooms 300 metres away. Barely €178 a night. Camping is no longer the plan of those with no money, but plan B for those who don't want to stay at home.

The budget refuge and the shadow of the GDR

Some see it as a sentimental con: low-cost holidays dressed up as a cool plan. The most repeated joke defines the phenomenon as "full board at the door of the Mercadona". But history offers another reading: in the GDR (East Germany), the right to rest was guaranteed by law from 1949, with union vouchers and limited destinations. Here the market does the dirty work: with no holiday voucher available, people improvise happiness on a campsite pitch.

A record with fine print

While some do the maths, others express rejection: seven people in a caravan at 40 degrees, shared bathrooms, noise. Some would rather spend the day at the beach and go home to all their comforts. The FEEC applauds the repeat domestic customer, but the occupancy percentage doesn't say whether the person sleeping in the tent is there by choice or by budget. The question remains open: if August sold out, is it because camping has become fashionable, or because it's the only thing that fits in the pay packet?