It smelled like a record on the Catalan coast after a great Holy Week and an exciting spring. But after the euphoria, with prospects of even breaking the top records of 2019, before the pandemic, the tourism sector is worried. The reasons, a May, June and the first half of July with a general slowdown in the arrival of tourists, also seeing that reservations for the peak of the season do not yet have the expected rate in hotels, campsites or apartments.
It will not be a bad summer, far from it, but you will have to row hard in search of more last-minute reservations to fill the tourist accommodation. Full occupancy in August is also not guaranteed and offers will come into play, especially in hotels with more beds. It cannot even be compared to what is happening in Barcelona, euphoric.
“Things have been cooling off and slowing down, it will be difficult to reach full occupancy at the end of July and August because we are noticing that markets that responded very well after the pandemic, such as the national and French markets, are a little colder . The sector is reacting, if there are empty rooms, prices are adjusted or minimum stays are reduced, although it is not the most appropriate ”, explains Albert Savé, president of the Costa Daurada i Terres de l’Ebre Hotel Association.
On the Costa Brava, in a situation with many parallels, the majority of hoteliers and restaurateurs have seen how this July they have returned to reality after an atypical euphoria in 2022, when occupancies of over 90% were registered. The explosion of clients who, after the covid years, preferred a “safe destination” then filled hotels, apartments and campsites. The prospects continue to be, despite everything, "very good", according to the Girona Hospitality Association, with an occupancy forecast of 80% for this month of July.
Further south, half of the hotels in Maresme were surprised by the drop in reservations for the first half of July, which in some cases did not exceed 65% occupancy. Jordi Noguera, president of the Gremi d'Hotels del Maresme, cannot come up with an explanation for what happened, but he ventures that "many groups are missing during the week."
The lack of reservations is not repeated on weekends, where demand in areas such as Pineda de Mar or Malgrat has reached 85% thanks to national tourism. "But we miss the German and English customers," adds the president of the hoteliers, possibly because they are affected by the economic recession in their country.
After closing a June with 67% average occupancy in the hotels on the Costa Daurada and Terres de l'Ebre, July will be between 70 and 80%, below expectations. In the hotels of the Costa Brava Center group, with small establishments in the Baix Empordà, they will go from 90-95% last year to between 85-90%.
In the campsites, which experienced a post-pandemic boom, expectations have also been lowered. “They were very high, but now there is moderate optimism. Many reservations, especially from local customers, will be made at the last minute", highlights Mireia Sans, president of the Associació de Càmpings de la Costa Daurada i Terres de l'Ebre. "We are not like last year, but it is logical, we came from two years of pandemic and people were crazy to go out," adds the vice president of the Girona Camping Association, Josep Maria Pla.
There are other factors, such as the effects of inflation on the pocket of families or the recovery of tourism from large trips abroad. "We observe that there is a certain desire to change destination," says Toni Bachiller, a businessman in the restaurant sector of Palamós who has also perceived this first half of July that "there is a lack of tourists." There are other factors, such as the near disappearance of Russian tourism. "We are suffering from it, we have not been able to replace it," says Savé.
"In 2019, the weekends were crazy and you couldn't absorb all the demand, and during the week there were practically only foreigners", recalls Joan Carles Sánchez, owner of three restaurants and a hotel in Calella de Palafrugell and vice president of the Union of Hospitality and Tourism Entrepreneurs of the Costa Brava Centre.
It does not help that families suffer to square their economy. The president of the Professional Association of Hospitality Entrepreneurs of Tossa de Mar, Francesc Zucchitello, considers the interest rate hikes of the European Central Bank to be key. "Since the beginning of July we have registered 22% of cancellations".
Another, more secondary factor, 23-J. “The electoral calendar may have delayed many family vacations that were hesitating when to take them,” says Esther Torrent, president of the Girona Costa Brava-Pirineu Tourist Apartment Association. This sector expects to close with 70% occupancy in July, ten points less than a year ago.
