Family flight bookings for Spain's December bank holiday weekend are up 94%

What happened

Flight bookings by families with children for the December long weekend are up 94% year on year, according to a Trip.com study. One in four bookings (25.4%) is a family trip, 4.3 points more than in 2025 and the biggest rise of any type of traveller.

Hotel stays are lengthening from 2.6 to 3 nights, over a long weekend that this year runs from Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December, compared with three days of holidays in 2025. Leading domestic destinations include Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, Valencia, Granada, Bilbao and San Sebastián, and the study notes that Jerez de la Frontera and Málaga continue to attract visitors.

What it means for your property in Málaga

Málaga is not among the fastest-growing destinations, but it is among those holding steady, and a four-day weekend favours longer stays. If your property can host a family, those dates could be filled with a single three or four-night booking rather than several short ones.

While the AVE line to Madrid remains closed, some domestic demand will have to arrive by air or by car. Set your price and minimum stay for those nights now rather than waiting until the last week.

How I handle it in the properties I manage For long weekends I set a minimum stay in PriceLabs that matches the length of the holiday and review it a few weeks ahead. In the family-ready properties the listing mentions the cot and high chair, and the automated replies confirm it in several languages.