Andorra Tourist Operators Slam Delayed Visitor Data Amid Suspected Downturn Cover-Up

Tourist operators in Andorra are voicing frustration over delays in official visitor data from the statistics department, with no figures released for November and December despite earlier promises.

The department published October's border movement statistics in November, stating that November's data would follow on 18 December. Those numbers never materialised. A third-week January release for December—standard practice—also failed to appear, leaving operators without a full 2025 annual balance by mid-February.

Industry sources suspect the hold-up stems from efforts to soften the impact of a sharp drop in visitors during the year's final stretch. They describe late 2025 as markedly weaker than initial estimates, with fewer arrivals overall. At the Pas de la Casa border, French farmers' blockades had already disrupted flows.

"It's a significant decline, and they've had plenty of time to adjust the figures," one operator told reporters. Vehicles are tracked via passage counters, while visitor numbers rely on surveys. Yet the department recently claimed to operators that data remained inaccurate and required further refinement—despite fieldwork being completed days ago and the methodology unchanged since 2012.

Operators fear the statistics are being manipulated to mask the downturn's severity. The department has not commented publicly on the delays.