Numbers are not everything, but the numbers of travelers received in the Valencian Community in the first quarter of this year suggest that the sudden trauma experienced by the tourism sector in March 2020, as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, has been far surpassed.
As the statistical data demonstrate, the airports of Alicante and Valencia, which already closed the 2023 financial year with passenger records – thanks above all to an increase in international travelers of more than 20%, in the low season that is now ending – have maintained that trend. .
Which represents a very relevant factor, because the ability of tourist destinations to deseasonalize the influx of visitors is key in times when the most popular monuments and natural sites struggle to cope with the avalanches of tourists that sometimes accumulate in high season. .
From the point of view of income, recovery is also a fact and the behavior of Valencian destinations exceeds the general trend. Within the large cities, the increase in València stands out, which is the sixth in Spain in hotel revenue per room (35.6% compared to 2019 and 90.8 euros on average) according to the latest Exceltur report, which highlights the effect of good public-private work on their market segmentation. Alicante also recorded a significant increase in hotel income compared to 2019 (28.5 euros) to 73.4 euros, a short distance from the tenth place occupied by Bilbao.
Given the evident growth, sustainability has become an indispensable element, both for the public administration and for the private accommodation and transportation sector, when managing the consumption of resources associated with tourism activity. At the same time, the notable increase in activity has put on the table the need to adjust airport infrastructure to foreseeable needs in the not-distant future.
The need to adapt transport networks also arises in the railway sector, which has also experienced a significant boom since the liberalization of high-speed traffic, and in which the user is increasingly demanding a reduction in travel times. travel on the line to Barcelona, and internal connections that do not yet exist – such as access by train to the Alicante-Elche-Miguel Hernández airport – or more efficient operation of Cercanías services.
Valencian roads also maintain some sections whose capacity has been exceeded by road reality and require investments that contribute to more fluid traffic.
Another characteristic of the post-pandemic tourism model, which was already glimpsed before, but which has been accentuated later, is the change produced in contracting, which tends to eliminate intermediaries and allows the arrival of travelers from more varied markets, since Low-cost airlines are also extending their networks into territories that were little exploited until recently, such as Poland and other Eastern European countries. The easy access of users and owners to vacation management platforms such as Airbnb or Booking has made it possible to make stays cheaper and extend them to destinations and areas with limited hotel offerings.
In some very popular destinations, there is concern about the effect that the multiplication of temporary rental offers will have on local tenants. The cities of Valencia and Alicante, highlighted last year by highly prestigious publications as two of the best places in the world to live in, are beginning to consider the need to control inflation in the real estate market. A first step, essential from the perspective of hotel employers, is for the administration to fight effectively against the proliferation of illegal accommodation.
The cruise sector is also experiencing a boom in the ports of the Community, with the leadership of Valencia, where an increase of 9% is expected in 2025, and a significant recovery of Alicante, which has more than recovered its market share. that Cartagena took away from him and breaks records year after year.
With greater room for growth, inland tourism is also experiencing a period of expansion, such as caravanning and camping, benefiting from the interest in nature that many Europeans have discovered after the pandemic and from a climate that turns Valencian establishments into a winter oasis for travelers from all over Europe.
