The figures that are leaving the Easter corroborate that Catalonia is recovering the tourism that the covid-19 has truncated for more than two years: the promenades of localities of the Costa Brava i la Golden Coast revive the density of 2019 and many areas of inland tourism have also completed the capacity, such as the ski resorts. In addition to Barcelona opening its beach season this Sunday, Josep Tarradellas Barcelona – El Prat Airport will end these holidays with 8,882 operationswhich account for 82% of those carried out in 2019, according to data d’Aena.
Spanish ensemble
At the level of Spain as a whole, there has also been a significant number of trips by plane, train and road, and an occupation that has reached 75% in rental accommodation nationwide. Airport manager Aena expects to operate 5,444 flights this Sunday, back in Easter, 11% less than on the same dates in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
On April 8, Aena reported that it had scheduled 57,376 flights arriving and departing between that day and April 18, a figure that stands at 10% below Easter 2019 (63.446).
For its part, Renfe plans to move 265,000 passengers between this Sunday and next Monday, two days of return of the Easter holidays, 175,000 of the AVE and long distance and 90,000 of medium distance. Renfe has offered almost two million seats on its commercial and medium-distance service trains for this Easter (April 9-18), far from the three million seats it offered in 2019, before the pandemic.
Meanwhile, in the early hours of this Sunday afternoon, they were being charged first roadblocks, especially on the main roads in the direction of Madrid.
The Directorate General of Traffic estimates that 14.6 million road trips will be made this Easter, 2% more than in 2019.
In addition, the Spanish Federation of Associations of Housing and Tourist Apartments (Fevitur) has enumerated in the 75% occupancy of tourist rental housing in this Easter, mainly thanks to the national tourist and inland destinations.
Bustle in Barcelona
In Barcelona, visitors, mostly foreigners, are once again flocking to the most emblematic places, leaving behind the deserted city of 2020 and giving way to the tourist bustle of 2022. The return of visitors is no nonsense. Beyond how the appearance of the city changes, tourism accounts for 12% of Barcelona’s gross domestic product and generates about 9% of employment. For this reason, traders celebrate that “Barcelona is once again the usual madness”.
Hotel occupancy forecasts above 80%, even with full in the center, and 92% in the tourist flats add to a very high demand for all spring in the face of the coincidence of holiday visitors and for various fairs and events .
In the rest of Catalonia, the feeling is similar. From the Federation of Associations of Hospitality Entrepreneurs of the Province of Tarragona (AEHT), consider that this Easter has been “magnificent.” And it looks like a preview of the summer season. “The forecasts are very good and it seems that we can get closer to the record numbers of tourists in 2019,” said the president of the entity, Francesc Pintado.
The return operation begins
This Sunday at noon the operation returns from Easter. The Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) expects them to return to Barcelona i l’metropolitan area 600,000 vehicles between today and Monday. Retentions are already occurring, some miles, by Easter Sunday sunny and warm living in Catalonia. You can follow the last live hour of the operation back live on EL PERIÓDICO.