The desire to travel seems immune for now to the European energy crisis and the uncertainty due to a possible economic slowdown. The summer season in Spain is exceeding the most optimistic forecasts in the sector, with hotel occupancies in July that are close to the figures for the same month in 2019, a record year for visitors, and higher prices, highlights the data published by the INE this Wednesday. A good streak that continues this August and will lengthen in the fall if there are no surprises in between.
Companies and employers expect very high occupancies in September and October, with rates that will also be more expensive than in the same months of 2019 in the main destinations. “The summer season is going to last until almost November”, repeat managers of the sector.
“It is being a very good season, it will get closer to that of 2019 and we believe that September will resemble or even improve the figures from before the pandemic in some areas”, highlights Ramón Estalella, general secretary of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Chat). In July, Spanish hotels registered 12.3 million customers, 43% more than in the same month of 2021 and 1.7% more than in 2019, although they slept fewer days in the establishments. Overnight stays last month exceeded 42.3 million, compared to 43.2 million in July 2019. But compared to a record year, the sector feels very satisfied.
Prices, moreover, are considerably higher than three years ago. The average bill per occupied room in July reached 121.4 euros on average, when in 2019 it was 102.8 euros. Compared to the same month of 2021, hotel prices have risen in Spain by 17.52%, well above inflation. By communities, the Balearic Islands (152.52 euros), Andalusia (130.72), the Basque Country (125.46) and Catalonia (124.38) recorded the highest rates, well above those of three years ago.
Prices, however, have not discouraged travel. “We have achieved an average occupancy at a national level close to 85%, a percentage practically identical to that of 2019. The hotels we have in regions such as the Basque Country and La Rioja, Catalonia or the Valencian Community, during July and August have registered occupations above 90%”, comments José Rodríguez Pousa, CEO of the Sercotel chain. In Barcelona, he continues, their prices have exceeded between 5% and 10% those of 2019, in line with the rest of the chains with establishments in the city. In fact, the Catalan capital leads the recovery of tourism in Spain and is among the destinations with the most overnight stays in the country along with Calvià and Madrid, according to INE data.
“Summer is going well in Barcelona, with 85% occupancy; events such as the cardiology congress are helping and we expect a high demand in September as well, the sensations for the fall are positive”, emphasizes Manel Casals, general director of the Gremi d’Hotels de Barcelona. For October, he comments, there is a little more uncertainty because last-minute reservations continue to be numerous.
The data handled by tour operators and transaction and reservation platforms in the sector indicate that demand will remain strong in October and November. "In Barcelona there are expected occupancies of more than 70% between September and November, with rates 10% above 2019," explains Àngel Garrido, CEO of Voxel, a B2B payment and electronic invoicing company for the tourism sector. At Sercotel they expect an average occupancy for their Barcelona establishments of over 90% in September and October. "The forecasts for autumn are very positive throughout Spain, with 80% of rooms reserved at the moment", adds the CEO of the hotel chain. In Voxel they corroborate these perspectives for the entire tourism sector of the country.
The rise in prices and the desire to travel have partially offset the inflation of costs and raw materials assumed by tourism companies. For 2023 they calculate, yes, that the rates will be moderated at the same time that the demand is consolidated. The champagne effect after the pandemic will not last forever, they conclude in the sector.
