Press Release - February 2026

• Against a backdrop of favourable trends in private consumption and demand for tourism and social and healthcare services, the main sectors making up the hospitality and institutional catering market continued to perform well in 2024-2025. However, provisional data generally point to continued slowing in growth.

• Turnover in four of the five sectors considered—hotels, hospitals, homes for the aged and catering—rose by between 5% and 7% in 2025. Only the restaurants sector posted a slightly smaller increase this year, at around 3.5%.

• INFORMA's DBK Sectoral Observatory recently published these insights in the 'The Hospitality and Institutional Catering Market' Special Report.

Madrid, 10 February 2026.- According to INFORMA's (Cesce's subsidiary) DBK Sectoral Observatory—a leading provider of business, financial, sectoral, and marketing information in Spain and Portugal—the main sectors linked to hospitality and institutional catering—restaurants, hotels, hospitals, homes for the aged and catering—maintained a positive trend in 2024-2025, albeit with more moderate growth rates than in previous fiscal years. 

Turnover in the hotels sector rose 12% in 2024 and ended 2025 with an estimated increase of 6%, exceeding €22 billion. Higher foreign demand and rising prices consolidated its position as one of the main drivers across the broader set of activities.

The restaurants market, also slowing compared with previous years, grew 4% in 2024 and is estimated to have advanced 3.5% in 2025, to around €30.8 billion. Outlets without table service—fast food and self-service—performed best, confirming the rise of agile, quick-dining-oriented options.

Catering maintained a very favourable trend, with growth of 9% in 2024 and around 7% in 2025, exceeding €4.9 billion. The institutional catering segment accounted for nearly 80% of the market, while airline catering was the most dynamic subsegment, driven by the recovery in tourist traffic.

In healthcare, private hospital management recorded stable growth of between 5% and 6% in both 2024 and 2025, reaching a figure close to €14.65 billion in the latter. The insurance-linked business remained the main segment, now accounting for about 60% of the total. Meanwhile, the homes for the aged sector maintained its upward trend, with annual growth of 6-7% in 2024-2025, reaching €6 billion. The management of privately run publicly funded beds continued to gain ground, already contributing over 35% of turnover, amid population ageing and improved supply. 

The hospitality and institutional catering business continued to show marked fragmentation, dominated by small companies running a single outlet. However, the concentration trend that began before the pandemic persisted across all sectors considered. It was particularly pronounced in catering and hospitals, where the top ten operators held over half of the market.