Tourists like Vigo and Vigo, tourists. It’s a mutual love, but it doesn’t have to be (just) a summer romance. Groups of hoteliers, hotels and restaurants in the city are working “hand in hand” with Concello: it is seasonally adjusting tourism. The aim is not to focus visitors on the crowded months of July and August, but to be able to distribute them and extend those overnights in the city to the rest of the year. This reality will also bring with it a clear purpose, which is to stabilize all those extra staff hired for the summer season. “Maintaining good occupancy throughout the year will allow us to retain these jobs; they will be much more resilient and thus we will get professionals more involved, this will not be a temporary job”, explains Iván Sánchez, president of NH Hoteles and president of Vigo hotels association (Ahosvi).
This perception goes even further. For businessmen in the industry, he states: “In and out” of workers “not interesting”, but that they can be fixed by the business that hired them. “I think expanding the calendar, opening the rest of the year to more events, will be very interesting and positive for both the city and employment. This could be longer, as visitors in the industry will span more months,” says Sánchez.
And it’s not currently possible for all those extra summer staff to stay in their jobs until the end of the year, when the second peak in tourism is hit by the Christmas lights. “Expanding this is very difficult; Yes, I commented with my other colleagues who are staffed for the summer months that it is difficult to maintain that, because we will not have tourism again until November or December,” explains Juanjo Figueroa, president and manager of several restaurant businesses in the city, of Casco Vello’s hotelier.
So that this claim that tourism is seasonally adjusted is not fictitious, Sánchez and other groups They are determined to expand the event calendar in the city, and they have a trump card for that.; convention or professional tourism. “As with Conxemar or Navalia, one of these events each month will allow us to maintain occupancy levels that will allow us to retain extra staff and provide them with more safety and time. We are working hand in hand with Concello on this de-seasonalization.it would be ideal for us, we would be pleased,” says Ahosvi’s president.
This business tourism is grouped under the acronym MICE; It covers all actions from congresses, fairs, exhibitions to business or professional travel at both business and leisure levels. “I think the introduction of this tourism model will greatly benefit the city. Vigo has the potential and possibilities to do this. With a big event every month, tourism will be distributed more and we will have better professionals”, says Iván Sánchez.
tourist apartments
It is also a tourism model other than vacation or summer. Moreover would leave a very different visitor profile in the city. “We now see a lot of people, lots of tourists, especially national tourists during the summer months, but more and more people are staying in touristic apartments or condos, and with that, they stop using many services because they stay there,” Figueroa says. .
His words are supported by the almost unbridled progress of the descent of these lodgings into the city. Recently, a restaurant in the vicinity of Vía Norte, where the Fátima Church is located, has strengthened this offer by being converted into a series of tourist apartments a few meters from the Vialia shopping centre.
What is undeniable after all, whatever the reason, is Vigo’s tourist attraction. And according to data from the National Institute of Statistics, For the first time since records were found, the number of hotels in the city exceeded 50,000 this July. (51.131), which is 8.58% more than a year ago. This symbolic barrier had previously been overcome in just five months: the fourth of August (2005, 2017, 2018 and 2022) and last December. This figure was once again supported by the increase of foreign tourists by 27 percent, reaching 16 thousand 584 visitors and 31 thousand 973 overnight stays. He explains: “While the vast majority of Spaniards continue to go on vacation in July and August, these will undoubtedly be the months that attract the most tourists, but this does not mean that there will be more benefits to the industry.” the state’s hoteliers, César Ballesteros.
And the increase in the costs of electricity, water and other materials, Employers saw a drop in profit margins. “People continue to go on vacation, but they are reducing both the days and the daily consumption. They are looking for something cheaper,” he concludes.
A model that has already mobilized 35,000 visitors this year
Unlike other cities where hotels are mostly occupied by holiday tourists, receptions of accommodation in Vigo It is becoming more and more common to meet travelers who travel for professional reasons.
Since 2017, Olívicos hotels have witnessed how congresses, fairs and workdays have gained strength as a tourist engine. This is not an unknown business area for the union. Ten years ago, such a designation already made up a significant part of the industry’s turnover, but its weight gradually waned during the crisis caused by COVID, which was greatly suppressed by the decline in industrial activity. Now they have gained importance once again since last year.
From January to July this year, a total of 64 events were held in the city, from the municipal office of the Vigo Convention Bureau, entirely dedicated to promoting tourism, known as MICE tourism (all-business tourism). Congresses, conferences, forums and professional meetings, attracted a total of 35,000 people. The biggest of these was the Mindtech Fair, which had around 7,000 exhibitors this year; It should be noted that this year had a negative impact compared to other fairs due to the metal strike as hundreds of workers mobilized and access collapsed. Ifevi delays or even prevents guests from arriving after collective bargaining negotiations fail.
The Vigo Convention Bureau has registered a total of 75 events in Vigo by the end of the year, but more events are expected to be added in the coming months. The most numerous theme is economics, accounting for 32% of the quotes.This is followed by medical-scientific (25%). In 2022, when the restrictions of the pandemic are still in effect and many congresses and forums have to be postponed, a total of 83 events were recorded, representing an increase of almost 40 percent compared to the previous year. Approximately, In 2022, business tourism attracted close to 78,000 attendees to the city.