Trends and seasonal variation of tourist demand in Spain: The role of rural tourism

•Hotel accommodations have a very marked seasonal component.•Rural accommodations have a relatively stable pattern and a sustained growth rate.•Rural accommodation maintains a more constant supply of places throughout the year.•A growing trend in the number of open rural tourism accommodation has been observed.

Demand for tourist services is characterised by strong seasonal variations, despite various policies and commercial strategies employed by tourist companies. Using data collected over a 14-year period starting in 2001, time-series analyses were conducted to identify the trend and the presence of seasonal variations. Results show that rural tourism had a relatively stable pattern and a sustained growth rate during the period of study, which suggests that it is advisable to promote rural tourism as one of the formulas for fostering stable regional development.