He good time leads to Catalan hotel sector to see with optimism the prospects for Holy Week, in which he expects a good occupation both in areas such as the Costa Bravawhere it can be close to 95%, as in the Golden Coast. Also in rural tourism accommodation and in Barcelona, and all this despite the high inflation. The Government also points to this line and foresees “very good” holidays in Catalonia with local tourism as the protagonist.
The general director of Tourism of the Generalitat, Marta Domènechhas explained to Europa Press that the prospects are for the Catalan tourist to stay within Catalonia, so that they visit the territory, “diversify it and deseasonalize it”, with an internal tourism that has been driven in recent years by the restrictions movement due to the pandemic.
Almost a million visitors
According to figures estimated by the Generalitat, the total number of tourists in Catalonia these holidays will be 962,257, which is 25% more than in 2022 and 16% higher than the figures for 2019. Of this total, more than 500,000 will be residents of Catalonia, while tourism from the rest of the State will mean about 200,000 arrivals, and the French market will bring about 70,000 tourists.
Domènech has highlighted this influx of French visitors, and has ensured that, of all the international markets, that of France It is “the first market” that Catalonia visits on this type of vacation, since it is a neighboring country that is very easily accessible by car.
The manager of the Union of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of the Costa Brava Center, Judith Lloberol, explained to EFE that occupancy on Girona’s beaches will be around 95% and that prices in the area have risen by an average of 10%.
Despite the fact that the rise in prices has been general in all destinations, a rise below that of the costs, people are not discouraged and, for now, continue to go out to eat, dine and on vacation. “Many people are also aware of the weather to decide their destination at the last minute,” she pointed out.
Sports tourism fills Tarragona
The large number of sporting events, national and international championships of different disciplines and categories will once again fill the Tarragona region with tourists next Easter, since, after three years, these events can be held as normal.
The spokesman for the Tarragona Province Hospitality and Tourism Federation, Xavier Guardià, explained to EFE that sports tourism helps a lot because it provides “security”, since it has to be contracted well in advance. “We are talking about 30,000 participants who are accompanied by their families, which has made this tourism a very important product.”
Guardià foresees that the occupancy from Thursday to Monday can be between 70 and 75% and, on holidays, it could reach 90%, with 100% of campsites and approximately 75% of hotels open. The feeling is that the area will already be at 2019 levels, the year before the pandemic began, although this data cannot be confirmed until the last minute.
Weather earrings in the Pyrenees
Those who also look at the sky are the tourists from the Pyrenees, both skiers and hikers. “There is little snow and the skiers are waiting to see if they can go up to do the last skiing of the season”, the president of the Lleida Hospitality Federation, Josep Castellarnau, explained to EFE.
Castellarnau forecasts an occupancy of between 30 and 35% until Thursday and, from then until the end of the holidays, between 85 and 90%. Like the rest of the sector, they await the last minute reservationssince being a local tourist who travels by car, he does not see the need to plan his trip too far in advance.
This winter, hoteliers in the Pyrenees have noticed a certain recovery, since people wanted to go out. “We will see how long it lasts because the economy is not experiencing its best moment”, added Castellarnau.
Rural tourism full and Barcelona at 87%
Rural tourism is another of the classics of Easter and, as explained to EFE, Montse Coberó, from the Confederation of Rural Tourism and Agrotourism of Catalonia (Turalcat), almost all the houses of the association are already reserved for the holidays of Week Santa.
We are facing occupations similar to those of last year and also to those of 2019, since rural tourism was one of the first to recover from the pandemic. The occupation of the sector is between 60 and 70% on normal weekends, which Coberó considers “acceptable” and has already noticed that there is a lot of demand for Sant Joan.
The occupancy estimates of the Barcelona Hotel Guild for Easter are 87%, according to its general director, Manel Casals, somewhat higher than the 85% registered last year. “This is good news because it reaffirms Barcelona’s tourist recovery and that the city continues to be a recognized and competitive brand at an international level”, he commented.
macroeconomic instability
In relation to the macroeconomic uncertainty caused by inflation, Domènech has defended that “this instability has existed for a long time” and that for the moment it has not been noticed in the tourism sector in Catalonia, so he does not consider that it is a factor that could negatively influence the occupancy figures for Easter.
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The total cost calculated by the Generalitat for Holy Week is 260 million euros, of which 81 million will come from the spending of Catalan tourists and 36 million from visitors from the rest of Spain, and the rest from foreign tourists.
For his part, Martí hopes that sales from travel agencies will continue to grow despite the macroeconomic figures, “which are not consistent but for the moment are not affecting sales in general.”