Airbnb Occupancy Rate in Santa Marta, Colombia, Data & Trends 2026

Over the analysis period 2025-06 to 2026-05, Santa Marta listings averaged 46% occupancy and a 59€ ADR, producing about 780€ in average monthly revenue across roughly 167 booked nights. The 46% occupancy is the lowest of Colombia's four tracked cities and runs about nine points below the national average near 55%, well under Medellín's 64%; the 59€ ADR, by contrast, sits close to the national average of about 63€, just below Medellín and a long way under Cartagena's 101€.

The defining feature is volatility: at 60% seasonality, Santa Marta has by far the most peaked demand curve of the four cities, so earnings hinge on a short dry-season window rather than steady year-round fill. Revenue was down 14% year on year, a steeper drop than Medellín or Cali, which means rate discipline in the December-January peak and aggressive discounting in the May and September troughs matter more here than in flatter markets.

Santa Marta is Colombia's oldest city and the main gateway to Tayrona National Park, which sits about 34 km east along the coast. That park, together with the beaches of El Rodadero and the diving village of Taganga, is what fills most short-term rentals here: guests are overwhelmingly leisure travellers, a mix of Colombian families on holiday and foreign backpackers and trekkers using the city as a base for Tayrona, the Lost City (Ciudad Perdida) hike and the Sierra Nevada foothills around Minca.

Demand is therefore beach- and nature-driven rather than corporate or nomad-led, which sets Santa Marta apart from Medellín. Bookings cluster around school holidays and long weekends, and listings near the seafront or with pool access in El Rodadero and Bello Horizonte capture the family segment, while cheaper rooms in the Centro Histórico and Taganga serve the backpacker flow heading into the national parks.

El Rodadero, about 5 km south of the centre, is the busy family beach district of high-rise apartments, restaurants and a palm-lined boardwalk; it commands the strongest nightly rates and the most consistent family bookings. Bello Horizonte, further southwest, is the quieter, upscale strip of condominiums and resorts with the widest beaches, suiting longer, higher-end stays away from the crowds.

The Centro Histórico, with its colonial streets, marina and nightlife, draws guests who want walkable restaurants and a base for day trips, and its smaller apartments turn over quickly. Taganga, a fishing-and-diving cove just north, is the backpacker enclave of cheaper rooms and dive-school traffic, lower ADR but steady volume from travellers en route to Tayrona.