Tourism from the United States is growing at a remarkable rate. More and more visitors are crossing the Atlantic, also from Canada and Mexico, to get to know Spain, and they are becoming the largest sending market that is growing the most, with a 22.7% increase in the number of overnight stays in hotels in the second quarter of this year compared to the same period in 2019. The data provided yesterday by the employer Exceltur show that foreign demand, with a 12.7% improvement in business sales in the last quarter, is pushing the recovery of the country's main industrial sector.
US tourists offset decline in traditional visitors. This is the case of the Nordics, whose overnight stays have fallen by 17.5% mainly due to the financial problems suffered by the Norwegian airline; the Germans, who have fallen by 4.7% due to the entry into recession of the EU's main economy, and the Asians, who are now starting to overcome the strong health restrictions after the pandemic.
The growth of foreign tourism does not prevent domestic demand from also growing in the last quarter, although less so. 10.6%, specifically. The new high-speed rail connections are key to this increase in internal escapes.
The destinations most favored by the increase in tourist activity, according to data from the employer Exceltur, are on the coast, with the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, Andalusia, the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands leading the growth. In domestic destinations, the recovery of Madrid stands out, where spending on five-star hotels is increasing significantly.
Looking ahead to the current summer campaign, which will end in September, the tourist board expects three record months that will improve the pandemic data, with a growth of 10.9%. The Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, the Mediterranean coast and northern Spain are at the forefront of these optimistic forecasts. In urban destinations, Barcelona, with an expected growth of 23%, and Madrid, with 20%, would lead the economic improvements.
With these perspectives, Exceltur has decided to revise upwards the tourism GDP estimate for 2023, to 178,831 million, 13.6% above 2019. However, inflation and the increase in business costs will cause that the tourism GDP still does not recover the pre-pandemic level, which will be 1% below that of the year before covid.
At this moment, the big challenge for tourism entrepreneurs is to recover margins, affected by a double-digit increase in costs, and to get the state and regional authorities to limit the proliferation of tourist homes.
That is why Exceltur has requested that the legislation does not allow accommodation platforms to advertise properties that do not comply with the regulations.
