Tourism recovery and territory: what makes the camping sector different?

We examine post-pandemic tourism recovery across Spanish provinces, comparing hotels and campsites to identify accommodation-specific and territorial patterns of resilience. Using provincial traveller data for 2020–2023, we assess the structural determinants of recovery and whether they differ across accommodation types. Results show that the main campsite–hotel difference was not simply the level of recovery. Campsites were less affected by the initial shock, but their recovery was also far more uneven across provinces, revealing a territorial asymmetry not previously documented. Domestic market orientation and location within the ‘Green Spain’ tourism label are more strongly associated with resilience in campsites, whereas seasonality constrains recovery across all segments. Overall, the findings show that resilience depends on the interaction between structural characteristics and accommodation type, and point to the need for policies that recognise uneven territorial conditions.