After leaving behind the dark clouds of the pandemic, there is a desire to travel; so many that it doesn’t matter if the weather forecast is messed up or if prices are skyrocketing. This Holy Week is promising and the tourism sector agrees that the figures for April 2019 will be exceeded, before the coronavirus disrupted everything and when an average occupancy was close to 80% throughout Spain, being one of the best data recorded up to that time. «The prospects we have now are very positive and tEverything indicates that we are at the start of a high season in which we will once again talk about a tourist recordboth in reservations and in the expenditure made by national and international travelers”, advances Carlos Abella, Secretary General of the Tourism Board.
It is not a simple perception. The data handled by professionals in the “happiness” industry leave no doubt: “Iberiafor example, is offering 6% more air capacity, that is, with more seats, than on these dates in 2019, and the rest of the airlines also present that ascending line, ”explains Abella. In the hotel sector, for its part, “we have some reserves that are already at 80% in coastal areasboth in the peninsula and in the archipelagos, although even in some specific areas they are already above 90%while in inland destinations we see reservation forecasts above 65%,” he says. Jorge Marichal, President of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist AccommodationCehat
[[H3:Vuelta a la «normalidad»]]
These rosy expectations are also handled from the travel agency sector. «The Easter campaign is going very well and we can highlight the peculiarity that the reservations have been much anticipated compared to last year, in which more was booked at the last minute. All this means that the forecasts are very good,” he points out. Mercedes Tejero, manager of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies, CEAV. And so they ratify it from the Corporate Association of Specialized Travel AgenciesAcave, whose president, Jordi Martí, recognizes that «the calendar plays in our favor and this has led to a greater desire to travel. Also, we must not forget that last year at this time we still had Ómicrom as a secondary actor and This Easter will be the first true “normality” after the pandemic. For this reason, despite the economic circumstances, trips are going to increase inside and outside of Spain. In fact, 24% of agencies will register an increase in their bookings above 15% compared to 2022. All of our partners agree that pre-covid activity levels have recovered and with the macroeconomic environment we have, we will surely exceed the data for 2019”.
And reality can even exceed expectations, «despite the fact that this year, due to inflation and the high increase in costs, the Spanish have been more farsighted and have not risked waiting for last-minute offers . We are checking that now the desire to travel far exceeds the economic issuealthough it is already beginning to be perceived that the client is considering more options and the price is beginning to be decisive”, confesses Abella.
However, the meteorological volatility typical of these dates means that Easter is a period in which, traditionally, the last hour can decline the balance of success in some areas, especially in the north of our country.
Last minute rural tourism
Aware of this, the president of the hoteliers dares to assure that “the final results of this period will surely improve the estimated forecasts thanks to last-minute reservations, so we can talk about an occupancy rate of over 90 or 95% in sun and beach destinations, to the point that they could be close to full in campsites». For their part, thanks to the undecided who choose their destination in recent days, “in the interior areas of the peninsula the occupation will probably be above 80%,” predicts Marichal.
Good proof of this is that reservations in rural accommodation continue to grow day after day, as shown by data from rural getawaya digital platform specialized in rural tourism, where Navarra, Extremadura, Aragon, Asturias and Castilla y León lead the occupation for the nights of April 6 to 9.
Unlike last Easter, the fact that the pandemic is no longer part of our vocabulary means that the range of possibilities when choosing a destination is multiplied and the Spanish are once again encouraged to cross the border in this first great exodus vacation of the year «For these dates we can highlight European destinations such as Rome, Paris, London and Lisbon», confirm from Viajes El Corte Inglés, a trend that is also strengthened by the CEAV spokesperson, who details that, in the middle distance, the European capitals stand out, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, Jordan, Cyprus, Malta… And the Caribbean and the USA in long distance. Also, this year, unlike last year, Asia is selling very well, so we can talk about China and Japan as a special rebound».
Mass return of foreigners
In so far this year, the volume of international tourists exceeds 2019 levels for the first time, thanks to the recovery of the main markets. In fact, the intention to travel to Spain has increased, especially among Americans, thus consolidating Spain with levels of travel intention well above those before the pandemic, according to the Smart Observatory report in its spring edition. Made by PwC for Cehat. «There is a very hopeful fact and it is that Only in April 60% of hotel reservations are already made by international travelerswhich gives us a glimpse of a very successful summer,” Abella foreshadows.
The stones of the road
►The tourism industry in unison agrees that everything indicates that this 2023 Spain can experience one of the best exercises in history. “The good forecasts for Holy Week are the starting signal for a high season that, of course, looks very good,” acknowledges the general secretary of the Tourism Board, Carlos Abella. However, some pitfalls may appear that cloud the results. “The transport strikes that we are seeing in Germany could have a small impact in some destinations that are highly dependent on the German market, since they imply cancellations”, warns Abella, who also alludes to the impact of inflation“which could take its toll in the long term, because for now it is not being noticed and the desire to travel is stronger than the increase in expenses.”