Initial data collected by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports indicate that the economic impact has increased by 32% compared to last year’s figures. Foreign overnight stays have increased by over 64%.
April 21, 2025
Castilla y León | Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports
The Minister of Culture, Tourism, and Sports, Gonzalo Santonja, today in León, unveiled the preliminary data from the tourism study conducted by the Board for Holy Week in the Community, which reveals that «the direct economic impact in Castilla y León during Holy Week 2025 has reached almost 90 million euros, representing a 32% increase over the previous year,» as stated by the minister. This increase is attributed to the rise in tourists in accommodations, as well as the higher daily spending by tourists in these accommodations.
According to the study’s findings, the movement of travelers during Holy Week 2025 has been significant, with increases throughout the period, especially in international overnight stays. During the ten-night period, from Viernes de Dolores to Domingo de Resurrección, Castilla y León recorded 545,006 overnight stays; while during the festive three-night period, from Jueves Santo to Domingo de Resurrección, there were 240,847 overnight stays, 9.44% and 7.48% more, respectively, than the previous year. It is worth noting the positive trend of foreign travelers, whose overnight stays have increased by 64.53% compared to the previous year in the Community.
Differences by type of accommodation
Hotels and rural tourism remain the types of accommodations with the highest number of overnight stays, followed by tourist rental homes. Seven out of ten beds are occupied in these accommodations. In terms of the annual evolution of the number of overnight stays, there is a significant increase in hostels, campgrounds, and hostels. Additionally, there is a notable increase in overnight stays generated by foreigners in all types of accommodations, especially in rural tourism accommodations and hostels.
Promotional campaign
In the analysis carried out by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Sports, support for the celebration of Holy Week is highlighted through various collaboration lines, with 300,000 euros allocated to the Brotherhoods, Fraternities, Coordinators of Brotherhoods and Fraternities, and Holy Week Boards of several localities where this celebration is declared a tourist event of international, national, or regional interest, with the aim of financing promotional activities to enhance it at a tourism level.
Furthermore, the Ministry has carried out the promotional campaign ‘Holy Week in Castilla y León. Unique’ through all online channels, promotional presence at specialized tourism fairs, as well as the edition of specific promotional materials with the schedule of Holy Weeks with tourism declaration and the organization and promotion of a Monument Opening Program in the nine provinces, which concludes today, Easter Monday.
The promotion campaign has been intensified in Madrid, the primary tourist-emitting market towards the Community, focusing on a strong external impact action, through the projection of a promotional video within the circuit of Gran Vía and Callao Square in Madrid, generating a strong impact and reflecting a prominent brand image of Holy Week in Castilla y León.