The tourism sector of the Costa Daurada closed this August with an occupancy of between 90% and 95%. These are figures similar to those of 2022, but far from the initial forecasts that predicted an extraordinary year.
The president of the Business Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of Tarragona (FEHT), Berta Cabré, has affirmed that they have recovered "stability" after an atypical July due to the slump in the Belgian and French markets. Cabré justifies the figures in meteorological instability and inflation.
In Terres de l'Ebre, rural accommodation has registered close to 80% occupancy, which has allowed them to save this season's furniture. For the bridge of September 11 they hope to fill at least half of the houses.
The Tarragona and Ebrense tourism sector celebrates the recovery this August of French, Belgian and Dutch tourists after a July with lower occupancy. Without the Russians, which was the third international market on the Costa Daurada, the Irish have become the market that has grown the most this season while the British have remained "certainly stable".
Although the occupancy figures in hotel establishments, campsites and tourist apartments have been estimated at around 90% and 95%, initial expectations have not been met. "At the beginning of the year, we were talking about a forecast of an extraordinary year, during the year we have seen that it could not be the record year," said Cabré.
According to the president of the FEHT, meteorological instability, both due to excess heat or not, has influenced the decision of tourists when it comes to not traveling to their destination or staying at home. "We have had irregularities and a series of variables that have been changing, added to inflation, which has also meant that some people and families decided to change their destination and take more domestic vacations," she said.
Cabré has also explained that clients are increasingly booking at the last minute. They do it between 24 and 48 hours before your arrival. "We have had a very polarized client who has booked very soon, hence our expectations of having a very good season, but then they were stopped because there was a very strong stoppage of reservations," he added.
As for the forecasts for this September, the union is confident that they will be good, taking advantage of the demand for cultural and gastronomic events in the territory, as well as the PortAventura World offer for this autumn. "Until the month of December we think that we can continue with this tourist activity. Obviously, in the heart of summer is where there are the greatest number of clients, but we see that tourism is moving a little due to the good weather," he added. Cabré
In the Terres de l'Ebre, rural establishments in the delta have registered an occupancy close to 80% this August. "It is a good figure, but it has not been the joy of other years," said the president of the Rural Tourism Association of Terres de l'Ebre (Aturebre), Juanjo Bel. Although, in general, he considers that the season has been positive, Bel has highlighted that in the first summer months the employment figures dropped "sharply" and were around 30%. "August is saved a little, but June and July have been weak," he stated.
According to Bel, the factors that have influenced them are, on the one hand, the fact that people prefer to travel abroad and, on the other, the proliferation of tourist accommodation. "We have been noticing the excess supply for a long time, it has skyrocketed in many ways, from campsite bungalows to tourist homes that are popping up from all corners," she commented.
Finally, from Aturebre they foresee an occupation of between 40% and 50% for the bridge of September 11. Thus, they hope to fill the rural establishments on the long weekend of the Diada.
