The Wednesday evening settled in after days of persistent rain, and the chill nudged locals to pull mid-winter coats from the closet, gathering indoors. Yet on Alicante’s sunlit terraces, visitors in short sleeves and light outfits warmed to the moment, enjoying meals along the city’s busiest streets. After two carefree pandemic years and a recent war, travelers remain determined to seize every moment of their breaks, with some lingering to savor the present.
“European winters have stayed unusually cold, prolonging the season. Spain is increasingly seen as a safe haven, a country distant from the center of conflict,” notes the general secretary of Hosbec for the Valencian Community. Nuria Montes believes that from this weekend forward, with national visitors joining international guests, the region could see a record Easter or at least a pace near the 2019 levels before the pandemic.
According to Jorge Marichal, head of the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT), this pattern repeats in many Spanish resorts. “The urge to travel remains strong; people want to go out more than before,” he says, citing a PwC study that shows intent to visit Spain higher than last year, with 2019 comparisons from Germany, the Netherlands, and Nordic countries.
In the first quarter, despite omicron and the Ukraine conflict’s onset, some regions reached occupancy near 75%. Major cities such as Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Madrid, and Barcelona hovered around 60 percent due to slower recovery in business tourism and conventions.
Large chains like Meliá and RIU reported over 70 percent occupancy for April in their resort divisions, awaiting last-minute demand to lift figures higher and confirming Benidorm as a strong season performer. The Magic Costa Blanca group also stays hopeful.
Of course, the war’s shadow remains. While the near term looks positive and the first real test since the conflict began seems achievable, optimism stays tempered by uncertainty about the months ahead and especially the summer.
“Inflation, driven by the conflict and eroding households’ purchasing power and consumer confidence, could affect us more than the human tragedy of war,” says the Vice President of the Benidorm chain. Yet the company has already reopened all its hotels, except for one undergoing renovation, reflecting cautious optimism.
Hosbec notes a modest slowdown in bookings for the coming summer, a drop of around 10 percent versus 2019 levels, still far ahead of the best year ever for the industry. Nuria Montes adds that the trend reflects a shift in demand rather than a collapse.
Industry voices acknowledge that inflationary pressures may not reduce trip numbers. Instead, travelers might shorten stays or tighten budgets, leaning toward all-inclusive packages and fixed-price dining options in restaurants, shops, and attractions. Montes emphasizes that this budgeting shift is likely to define the season.
Yet another concern surfaces: rising costs for hotels and allied businesses. Meliá notes that strong demand plus investments in product improvements and digitalization created momentum before the Ukraine crisis, yet current price pressures threaten to offset those gains. The CEO, Gabriel Escarrer Jaume, concedes that some increases will be passed on to customers due to higher energy and product costs.
As a result, Meliá anticipates more than 70 percent occupancy during Easter, with peaks above 80 percent in the Canary Islands, and remains hopeful that 2019-level figures can be approached during the summer.
RIU also projects around 72 percent occupancy in the near term, optimistic that late bookings could push destinations toward full occupancy. The company notes reduced reservations from Poland as a direct regional effect but recognizes the broader war as a major uncertainty factor.
Uncertainty also touches the aviation sector. Even with the war, Spanish airports closed March with passenger volumes around 80 percent of pre-pandemic levels, and for the summer, airlines show roughly 2 percent more scheduled connections than in 2019, signaling carriers are adapting to the recovery. Airline representatives stress ongoing capacity recovery and the value of flexible scheduling.
Regarding fuel costs, most airlines maintain fixed-price coverage for a portion of their fuel purchases, though the extent depends on each carrier’s risk strategy and how long the war’s effects linger.
What stands out is a shift toward later tourist bookings. Early uncertainty about pandemic waves gave way to war-related doubts, making last-minute planning a defining feature of the season. The industry notes that operations must stay agile, and travelers increasingly demand flexibility in changes and cancellations.
Travel agencies remain among the slower sectors to rebound. At the end of the previous month, about 22.9 percent of their workforce remained employed, roughly 8,900 professionals, signaling a cautious transition to a new sectoral labor framework. CEAV highlights that last year these agencies recovered only about 56 percent of pre-pandemic turnover, with business and convention tourism still in recession and international travel remaining limited for many markets, especially Asia.