Simon Hunter
SPAIN’S tourism sector is expecting to do big business this Easter, with forecasts suggesting that visitor numbers and spending will break records of recent years.
The end of Covid-19 restrictions will see the return of international visitors while Spaniards are also very keen to enjoy a domestic vacation. This has led to many hotels and other establishments to already hang up the ‘no vacancy’ sign, according to news agency Europa Press.
Meliá Hotels International, for example, has reported a 22% rise in sales compared to 2019 thanks both to price rises and the return of tourists from key markets such as the UK and Germany.
This boost has been felt in particular in the Canary Islands, where hotels are already above 65% occupation levels.
Barceló Hotel Group also reported a rise in sales to Europa Press, with average occupation expected to be 10 percentage points above that of 2022, and a major boost in revenue.
As for flights, bookings for trips into Spain are just 3% below the numbers for the same period in 2019, Spanish daily El Pais reported, while domestic flights are up 12% on four years ago, the last Easter before the coronavirus pandemic hit.
Read more:
- Madrid tops ranking of most competitive tourist cities
- Airline seats on offer to Spain’s Costa del Sol grow by 14.5% this spring
- Tourism operators expect 300,000 more Germans to travel to Mallorca this year
