Economists are expressing concern over a sudden change by Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE) in the methodology for collecting data on tourist housing, which they argue will affect the comparability of current and past data.
The Spanish Ministry of Housing recently highlighted a significant decline in the number of tourist apartments in Spain, using a graph derived from data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). This data, however, is controversial due to a recent change in the INE's approach to collecting statistics, where it stopped gathering data in February and August and instead shifted the collection months to May and November. This alteration has raised red flags among economists, who claim it creates a 'break in the series,' making the new data incomparable with figures from previous years.
As disclosed by the INE, the number of tourist apartments had shown an upward trend in 2022, with notable increases recorded in August—rising from 311,000 in 2022 to 340,000 in 2023, reflecting a 9.3% increase, and expected to reach 403,000 in August 2024, indicating an 18.5% year-on-year spike. However, the economists' concern lies not just in the figures themselves but in the methodology employed to gather them. The change to biannual data collection jeopardizes the ability to conduct historical comparisons, hindering researchers and policymakers who rely on consistent data to inform decisions.
