Andorra welcomed 9,194,340 visitors in 2025, a modest increase of 0.7% compared with the revised 2024 total of 9.13 million. Behind that seemingly stable headline figure lies a notable shift in visitor behaviour. The number of tourists staying at least one night rose sharply by 12.7% to 4,362,733, while the number of day-trippers fell by 8.1% to 4,831,607.
National Day
Today, 8 September, is National Day in the Principality of Andorra. An excuse to look at visitor numbers and tourism statistics.
The first Paréage of Andorra (Catalan: Tractat de pareatge) was a feudal charter signed in Lleida on 8 September 1278. It formalised an agreement between Roger-Bernard III, Count of Foix, and Pere d’Urtx, Bishop of Urgell, establishing their shared sovereignty over Andorra.
The charter created a system of joint lordship, known as a condominium, under which both the Count of Foix and the Bishop of Urgell exercised authority over the territory. This unique arrangement defined Andorra’s political structure for centuries and laid the foundations of its modern legal status. The principle of shared sovereignty was ultimately reaffirmed in the Constitution of 1993.
The second paréage and constitutional importance
A second paréage, signed on 6 November 1288, expanded and clarified the provisions of the first agreement. Together, the two charters formed the core legal framework of Andorra and remained its most important constitutional documents until the late 20th century.
From feudal lords to modern co-princes
Over time, the rights of the Count of Foix passed through dynastic succession to the French Crown. When Henry IV, Count of Foix, King of Navarre, and later King of France, ascended the French throne, he became the first French monarch to serve as Co-Prince of Andorra. This role has since evolved into the position held today by the President of France. With the adoption of the 1993 Constitution, Andorra transitioned into a parliamentary democracy, while retaining its co-princes as ceremonial heads of state.
Preservation and legacy of the documents
Only one copy of each paréage survives. The existing copy of the first is held in Andorra’s national historical archives, while its original, once kept at the Château de Foix, is believed to have been destroyed in a 20th-century fire. The second paréage is preserved in the diocesan archives in La Seu d’Urgell; its original copy, formerly in Tournai in Belgium, was lost during the bombing of the city in 1940.
A lasting constitutional foundation
The paréages remained in force, largely unchanged, for around seven centuries. In 1978, the 700th anniversary of the first agreement was commemorated with a French postage stamp featuring the opening lines of the 1278 charter.
Visitor numbers
This gradual rebalancing between overnight visitors and excursionists reflects a long-standing policy goal: attracting visitors who stay longer and spend more. The trend is also visible in nationalities. French visitors – traditionally the largest market – declined by 7% to 3.72 million, with the drop particularly pronounced among day visitors. By contrast, arrivals from other countries increased by 16.6%, and Spanish overnight tourism grew strongly, up 11.1%.
Seasonal trends and visitor behaviour
Seasonal patterns underline the importance of winter tourism and shopping. In November and December alone, Andorra recorded 1.45 million visitors, with shopping cited as the main motivation for between 42% and 51% of trips.
Overnight visitors typically stayed around three nights, often in four-star hotels concentrated in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. These towns are basically one urban area.
Revised methodology and statistical adjustments
The 2025 figures are also the first to be calculated under a new methodology introduced by the statistics department. Visitor numbers are now based exclusively on mobile phone signals, replacing an earlier system that also included machine-to-machine (M2M) data from connected devices.
This change has led to a downward revision of previous totals: 2024 was adjusted to 9.13 million (down 5.4%), 2023 to 8.93 million (-4.6%), and 2022 to 8.11 million (-3.7%). While the revisions reduce the headline numbers, they are considered more accurate and allow for better comparisons over time.
Early 2026 data suggest some volatility. Vehicle entries into the country fell by 7.9% in January, with a particularly sharp drop at the French border (-24.2%), partly attributed to weather disruptions. Over a 12-month period, total vehicle entries declined by 3.1%, hinting at broader pressures on cross-border mobility.
A tourism model built on proximity and experience
Tourism is central to Andorra’s economy and identity. Nestled in the Pyrenees between France and Spain, the small principality has built its appeal on a combination of mountain sports, shopping, and short-stay leisure trips. Its accessibility by road makes it especially attractive for nearby markets, explaining the dominance of Spanish and French visitors and the historically high share of day-trippers.
Winter sports remain a cornerstone of the tourism offer. Large ski areas such as Grandvalira and Vallnord attract visitors from across Europe, particularly families and beginner skiers drawn by relatively accessible slopes and extensive ski school infrastructure. In summer, the focus shifts to hiking, cycling and nature tourism, supported by Andorra’s mountainous landscape.
Shopping is another defining feature. As a non-European Union territory, Andorra offers duty-free goods, making it a long-standing destination for retail tourism. This explains the high proportion of short visits and the continued importance of excursionists, even as policy shifts aim to increase overnight stays.
Shifting strategy and structural challenges
The latest figures suggest that Andorra is gradually moving towards a higher-value tourism model, prioritising longer stays over sheer volume. The increase in overnight visitors is a positive sign in this respect, as these travellers typically generate more economic impact through accommodation, dining and activities.
However, the data also highlight vulnerabilities. The decline in French visitors, a key market, raises concerns about overreliance on neighbouring countries. External factors such as weather disruptions, border accessibility and changing travel patterns can have an immediate impact on arrivals.
At the same time, the methodological revision underlines the importance of accurate measurement in a sector where policy decisions depend heavily on reliable data. By refining how visitors are counted, Andorra aims to better understand tourism flows and adapt its strategy accordingly.
Balancing growth and sustainability
Looking ahead, the challenge for Andorra will be to maintain growth while managing the pressures associated with mass tourism. The country’s limited size and infrastructure capacity mean that quality over quantity is likely to remain the guiding principle.
Efforts to attract more overnight visitors, diversify source markets and promote year-round tourism are central to this strategy. At the same time, maintaining the balance between economic benefits and environmental sustainability will be crucial in preserving Andorra’s appeal as a mountain destination.
In that sense, the 2025 figures do not signal rapid expansion, but rather a gradual transformation of Andorra’s tourism model—away from high volumes of short visits and towards a more stable, higher-spending visitor base.
Belgium and Andorra
There is only limited publicly available data on Belgians in Andorra, and what exists tends to be fragmentary rather than part of the main tourism statistics.
For tourism flows, Belgian visitors are a very small niche market. The latest detailed figures that circulate come from older time series: in 2018, around 28,000 Belgians visited Andorra in a year.
Given that Andorra now receives more than 9 million visitors annually, this suggests that Belgians account for well under 1% of total arrivals. More recent official breakdowns tend to group such markets into “other nationalities”, so precise current numbers are usually not published separately.
In practice, Belgium is a minor but steady long-haul European source market, largely linked to winter sports tourism.
As for residents, the picture is even less specific. Andorra’s total population is just under 90,000 inhabitants in 2025–2026, with growth driven mainly by immigration.
However, official statistics typically highlight the largest foreign communities (Spanish, Portuguese, French, and increasingly Latin American nationals). Belgians are not listed among the major groups, which implies their numbers are very small. Likely only a few hundred residents at most, and possibly fewer.
In short, Belgians are present in Andorra both as visitors and residents, but in very modest numbers compared with dominant neighbouring markets. The tourism relationship exists, but it remains peripheral rather than structurally important to Andorra’s visitor economy or demographic composition.
Does Andorra have an overtourism issue?
Andorra does not experience overtourism in the same constant, city-wide way as destinations like Barcelona in Catalonia or Venice in Italy, but it clearly faces significant pressure from tourism due to its very small size and extremely high visitor numbers.
With around 9 million visitors annually and fewer than 90,000 residents, the principality has one of the highest tourist-to-resident ratios in the world. This alone creates structural pressure, yet the real issue lies less in total numbers than in how they are distributed over time. Tourism in Andorra is highly seasonal, with sharp peaks during the winter ski season and the summer holidays. At those moments, the “equivalent population” can more than double, putting strain on roads, parking, water supply, waste systems, and popular natural areas.
These pressures are most visible in ski resorts such as Grandvalira and Vallnord, as well as in shopping districts in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes-Engordany. Traffic congestion, crowded public spaces, and limited infrastructure capacity can become real issues, especially on weekends and during holiday periods. In that sense, Andorra does experience episodes of overtourism, but they are concentrated in specific places and times rather than being constant.
Outside these peak periods, the situation is very different. Visitor numbers drop significantly, and parts of the tourism infrastructure are underused. This imbalance means that Andorra is not overwhelmed year-round; instead, it faces a pattern of intense but temporary overcrowding.
In response, the country has been gradually shifting its tourism strategy. Rather than simply increasing visitor numbers, the focus is on attracting more overnight guests, who tend to stay longer and spend more, while reducing reliance on large volumes of day-trippers. There is also increasing attention to managing traffic, improving infrastructure, and protecting natural areas.
Overall, Andorra can best be described as a destination under pressure from tourism, but not one that is out of control. It sits somewhere in between: not a textbook case of overtourism, yet clearly close to its limits at peak times, and actively trying to rebalance its model towards a more sustainable form of growth.
2023 Occitania – Andorra – Catalonia Road Trip
- TOULOUSE-BLAGNAC AIRPORT | Arrival, ID check, car rental and unusually strict security at departure.
- REVIEW | Novotel Toulouse Purpan Aéroport.
- Circuit Andorra.
- HOTEL REVIEW | Eurostars Andorra.
- REVIEW | Caldea hot spring spa and treatments in Andorra la Vella.
- Andorra la Vella & Escaldes–Engordany.
- QUEER ANDORRA | Entre Nous, the only gay bar in the village.
- ANDORRA PARLIAMENT HOUSE | Casa de la Vall.
- Andorra.
- Llívia, Spain’s exclave in France.
- LE TRAIN JAUNE TERRITORY | Mont-Louis and Villefranche-de-Conflent.
- REVIEW | Dali Hôtel Perpignan.
- Perpignan during the Visa pour l’image international photo journalism festival.
- PERPIGNAN | The Palace of the Kings of Majorca or Palais des Rois de Majorque.
- North Catalonia, Northern Catalonia or French Catalonia: Catalan presence in France.
- FRANCE | Carcassonne and its Counts Castle.
- REVIEW | Neméa Appart’Hôtel Toulouse Concorde.
- TOULOUSE | Aeroscopia aerospace ‘Airbus museum’.
- Touring Toulouse.
- 2023 Occitania – Andorra – Catalonia Road Trip.
Some tourism statistics
- Bonaire bets on quality tourism as visitor numbers reach new highs.
- Antwerp welcomed with almost 3 million day-trippers in 2026 summer.
- SAN MARINO | 2025 record year for tourism.
- MALAYSIA | 42.2 million visitors in 2025, becoming Southeast Asia’s most visited destination.
- American tourists spend big in Belgium as fewer Belgians travel to the United States.
- Belgian Coast boasts record visitor numbers for 2026 summer holiday.
- Switzerland breaks tourism records with almost 44 million overnight stays in 2025.
- Belgium tourism reaches new heights as record visitor numbers underline the country’s growing appeal.
- France welcomes 102 million visitors and earns €77.5 billion from tourism in record-breaking 2025.
- BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS | Tortola at the centre of a record tourism boom.
- DOMINICAN REPUBLIC | 11.6 million international visitors in 2025.
- Aruba consolidates its position as a tourism powerhouse.
- United Kingdom tourism races past 45 million visitors as cross-Channel travel with Belgium grows.
- ITALY | More than 185 million visitors as tourism surges 7.1% in record year 2025.
- 8.7 billion rail trips in Europe in 2024 as Switzerland leads and Belgium’s data remain unavailable.
- NORWAY | Tourism breaks record with 40.6 million guest nights in 2025.
- NETHERLANDS | Rising international visitor numbers, domestic travel showed signs of stagnation in 2025.
- Taiwan tourism rebounds, Belgian market recovers, but cost pressures and geopolitical risks shape outlook.
- CURAÇAO | Tourism records for 2025, with 11,500 travellers from Belgium.
- International tourism to the United States continues to slide in 2026.
- Morocco records historic tourism year with 19.8 million visitors in 2025.
- Flanders continues to grow as a tourist destination with over 15 million visitors in 2025.
- Greece sets new tourism records in 2025 with nearly 38 million visitors.
- Thailand happy with Belgian visitor numbers and welcomes Tomorrowland festival.
- Belgian travel stats to the United States continued to decline throughout 2025.
- Is Greece too popular? 2024 tourism statistics raise overtourism concerns.
- TRAIN TRAVEL | European Union records 429 billion passenger-kilometres in 2023 but domestic travel still dominates.
- 5 million passengers flew from and to Brussels Airport in summer 2025.
- BELGIUM | Flemish museums attracted more than 4.8 million visitors in 2023.
- Belgium sees modest tourism growth in 2024, led by Flanders and Brussels.
- Travel in 2024: Spain, France, USA, China, Mexico lose ground and Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, UAE to grow market share.
- France, Spain, USA, China and Italy most visited countries in the world, Belgium 41st.
- France welcomed 100 million international visitors in 2024.
- Turkey welcomed 62 million international tourists who together spent $61 billion in 2024.
- SPAIN | 94 million international visitors and €108.7 billion tourism income in 2024.
- UN WORLD TOURISM BAROMETER | International tourism recovers pre-pandemic levels in 2024.
- Outside the EU, Europeans mostly travel to Switzerland, Turkey and the United Kingdom.
- Intra-European travel mostly for fun and / or family.
- Europeans visit other European countries over 7 nights on average.
