Travel agency franchise networks grow by 15.5% since 2019

Travel agencies are gaining ground in Spain’s franchise sector. Their networks had 4,559 outlets at the end of 2025, up 15.5% on 2019, according to figures from the Spanish Franchise Association (AEF) reported by Hosteltur. Travel agencies now rank third by outlet numbers, behind food retail and hospitality and fast food.

From 3,946 to 4,559 outlets since before the pandemic

The comparison with 2019, the last full year before the pandemic, shows a net increase of 613 outlets. At that time, the AEF recorded 3,946 travel agency outlets within the networks surveyed; by the end of 2025, that figure had reached 4,559.

Figures for the intervening years trace that growth. There were 4,097 outlets in 2022, rising to 4,211 in 2023. Between 2023 and 2025, the networks added a net 348 outlets, equivalent to growth of 8.3%.

It is important to distinguish between these two periods: the 15.5% increase is cumulative growth since 2019, while the 8.3% figure measures the change between 2023 and 2025. Neither is therefore a single-year growth rate. The figures also describe changes in outlet numbers, not sales or the profitability of individual branches.

Expansion against the wider sector’s trend

Travel agencies’ growth contrasts with recent developments across Spain’s franchise sector as a whole. Between 2023 and 2025, the total number of outlets fell from 78,255 to 77,526, a decline of around 1%. Over the same period, travel agency networks grew by the 8.3% noted above.

With 4,559 outlets out of a total of 77,526, travel agencies account for approximately 5.9% of outlets operating within this business model. Their share is therefore approaching 6% of the total.

This growth has also changed their position relative to other sectors. At the end of 2025, travel agencies outnumbered the 4,434 beauty and aesthetics outlets, while remaining below the 4,818 outlets in hospitality and fast food. The gap with the latter category was 259 outlets.

The significance lies not just in the number of outlets reached, but also in the fact that travel agencies expanded their presence while the sector’s overall outlet count declined slightly over the same period.

Networks combining new openings with existing agency recruitment

Viajes Carrefour is one of the companies that has made extensive use of this model. Its corporate information lists 30 company-owned agencies and more than 350 affiliated agencies in Spain. Separately, its dedicated franchise division refers to more than 250 franchised agencies.

These figures must be kept distinct: affiliated and franchised agencies are reported under different labels and should neither be added together nor treated as equivalent. The company’s franchise offer covers both bringing existing agencies into its network and opening new outlets under its brand. It also continues to announce openings under this model.

Zafiro Tours has likewise built its growth around franchising, a model it has used since 2000. The company reports more than 500 branches across Spain and Mexico and continues to pursue a strategy focused on recruiting new franchisees. That total covers both countries and should not be interpreted as a count of Spanish branches alone.

How to interpret the figures before investing

The AEF’s figures show a clear expansion: travel agency networks have grown from fewer than 4,000 outlets before the pandemic to more than 4,500 at the end of 2025. However, an increase in outlet numbers does not, on its own, demonstrate that every location or business proposition has the same potential.

For anyone considering joining a network, these figures provide context rather than a forecast of results. The practical takeaway is to check the overall growth trend against each brand’s documentation, distinguish between company-owned, affiliated and franchised branches, and assess the terms and viability of the specific outlet before committing to an investment.