The remarkable shift in hotel bookings in recent weeks has prompted many Spanish hotel groups to accelerate the opening of their vacation properties to late March, aligning with Holy Week, which this year starts earlier than in previous years. With holidays shorter than others in the year, planning ahead becomes a priority for travelers.
The early openings will prepare these properties for the summer season, which is expected to reach new occupancy records as European markets recover gradually. This could push Spanish tourism to new revenue and visitor milestones (85 million in 2023) in what is being called a post-pandemic travel rebound.
An Affilired report from recent days estimated that 31% of reservations in the Spanish outbound market were booked in advance, signaling renewed traveler confidence and a gradual return to proactive planning and early bookings.
Travelgate reports a similar figure, noting that 32.43% of reservations made last week were for trips more than three months ahead, underscoring the level of advance planning among Spanish tourists heading into the summer.
Price increases
All of this comes amid inflation that has pushed prices higher, with jumps up to roughly 15% during peak dates and favored destinations, according to SiteMinder.
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Hotel operator Melia noted in annual results that some hotels that historically closed during winter this year stayed open, a factor that ties into plans to advance the opening of Mallorca’s hotels for a second consecutive year to late March. Strong weather and a Holy Week this year that is more提前 anticipatory than in past years have led Mallorca resorts to move opening dates forward, especially on the islands.
The same pattern has been seen with Riu, another major Spanish hotel group, which leveraged Holy Week timing to inaugurate earlier openings at some seasonal properties. In 2024, more or less a week before the holidays, operations will begin around March 22.
The healthy pace of bookings with robust growth in key urban and coastal destinations has encouraged many hotel chains and independent beachfront hotels to push forward openings in 2024.
According to the Smart Observatory by the Confederation of Spanish Hotels and Accommodation (Cehat), advance bookings for Spanish tourist accommodations have risen notably this year, even as inflation has driven prices up by 4-6%. Company forecasts point to a bright three-month horizon, with occupancy in portfolio at 45% (5.7 percentage points above 2023). Improvement in advance reservations coupled with Holy Week proximity has lifted Spain’s occupancy by 13% versus 2023, with especially strong results on the islands and coastlines.
Calvià as an example
Calviá is forecasting that 149 of its 230 tourist facilities will be open in March. The town hall in this Mallorca municipality notes that “the tourism offer is moving toward off-season resilience.” In Palmanova and Magaluf, more than half of the hotels are expected to be open by the end of March. About half of the municipality’s tourist capacity concentrates in these two zones.
The Tourism Forum had already anticipated that Holy Week occupancy would approach 70% in major cities, potentially marking the best quarter in Spanish tourism history. During peak holiday days from Maundy Thursday to Easter Sunday, occupancy could near 90%.
For Barceló, the favorable trend in advance sales suggests 2024 could again be a strong year for domestic tourism.
Spain has established itself as a prime refuge for many European travelers, prompting both domestic and international visitors to book early to secure the best deals on preferred destinations. Travel agencies like Destinia report a 35% year-over-year rise in Holy Week bookings, driven mainly by domestic tourism (+63%), with foreign visitors also playing a notable role, representing about 28% of total bookings.
Destinia notes that bookings were made roughly 44 days in advance, and the recent mild weather has encouraged Spaniards to secure their plans ahead of time.
Traditionally, Holy Week has been a last-minute booking window because of the risk of cold and rain. However, spring temperatures observed since the beginning of the year have given travelers more optimism, leading to earlier reservations for the upcoming holidays.