Holiday rentals in Spain are booming as domestic bookings make up for lower numbers of UK and foreign tourists

A Spanish holiday rental website says that August accommodation bookings are higher than two years ago before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rentalia put that down to rising domestic bookings compensating for lower foreign reservations.

The online portal is predicting next month’s numbers to reach 89.2% occupancy compared to 88.5% two years ago.

Last year’s August occupancy figure was just 77%.

The firm is projecting even higher rates of above 94% for the Costa Blanca and the Balearic Islands.

Rentalia’s director, Almudena Ucha, said: “The holiday rental sector, after a very complicated year, has managed to get back on track, even surpassing the occupancy levels of the summer before the health crisis.”

She added that ‘many coastal destinations’ are compensating for the lack of foreign tourists by getting domestic customers instead.

“Given the curbs on leisure activities in some regions, many families or groups are looking for accommodation without having those restrictive concerns”, Almudena Ucha observed.

The most important feature for many clients is having an on-site swimming pool.

READ MORE COSTA BLANCA HOTELS REPORT NO ‘EXPLOSION’ IN UK HOLIDAY BOOKINGS