The first great mass outing of the summer starts this weekend with occupancy forecasts and prices in record numbers, above the previous highs of 2019, before the pandemic, which is already beginning to be a bad memory for the tourism sector. 4.5 million road trips are expected this weekend, according to the General Directorate of Traffic.
Hoteliers have already sold 52% of the rooms for the summer season, 17 points above the pre-covid figures, and they calculate that they will exceed 80% occupancy by 2022; travel agencies have reservations above then and campsites and motorhomes reach 90 and 75% occupancy, respectively.
Aena has 25,676 flights scheduled between today and next Monday, still slightly below the 2019 financial year, and Iberia’s ground service, which serves another 150 companies in addition to the airline itself, calculates that these three days will move around a million travelers at airports.
Renfe plans to offer 18 million seats in the summer, 10% more than last year.
Prices, which have risen continuously since June 2021 -after the hit of the pandemic- follow the upward path, which has led to a reduction in the average stay, according to hoteliers, a thesis in which the caravan sector agrees, while in the campsites the days are maintained but the expense is reduced.
For this weekend, the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) forecasts some 4.5 million road trips, which will be somewhat less burdensome than last year because diesel is almost 25% cheaper and gasoline is around a 18%.
According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), 72% of the nights spent in all types of tourist establishments were registered in hotels in May (latest data published), which is the most accurate thermometer for measuring activity.
The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Accommodations (CEHAT) explains that its firm sales already represent 52% of the hotel plant and cancellations -so common in the last three years due to the covid- have returned to normal parameters, with which they calculate that the summer will end with an occupancy above 80% of last year.
The president of CEHAT, Jorge Marichal, advances that hotel revenues will rise 26% over 2019. Room prices have increased an average of 9.7% and inflation has increased by 14.3% since then, therefore that companies have had to absorb the difference.
National tourism is at its highest and international tourism is recovering the pace prior to 2019, although with certain doubts among the two main issuers of tourists to Spain (United Kingdom and Germany) due to the weakness of their economies.
The campsites expect to exceed the five million travelers this summer that they had the previous one, according to the Spanish Federation of Campsites (FEEC), which calculates an average occupancy of around 90% and even 100% in the bungalows.
The campers will stay for an average of seven days and the average daily expense per family will be between 120 and 140 euros, with a 20% drop in outlays in internal establishments (supermarkets and sports facilities) due to the effect of inflation.
The rise in prices has also been noted in the caravan segment, where the average route has dropped from ten to seven days, with an average daily cost per vehicle of 150 euros. More than 250,000 will circulate on Spanish roads this summer, according to the sector’s employers’ association, the Spanish Association of the Caravaning Industry and Commerce (ASEICAR).
The president of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), Carlos Garrido, has pointed out that the rate of reservations slowed down somewhat with the announcement of the general elections for July 23, but he assures that they are above the numbers of 2019.
In July and August, the DGT forecasts 95 million long-distance journeys, 1.7% over 2022. Of these, 4.5 million will take place in this first exit operation.
Aena has 25,676 operations scheduled between today and next Monday, somewhat below the 26,700 of four years ago, but the figures will exceed the precovid ones in the most touristy airports, including those of Malaga and Ibiza, while Palma de Mallorca stands at the same levels.
Iberia Airport Services will serve more than one million passengers this coming weekend (14% over a year ago) and more than a third of them (360,000) will fly with the group, a 16.2% increase.
The airline has scheduled growth for this summer in its main markets: the US and Latin America (mainly Colombia, Mexico and Peru) and will also operate typically summer destinations in Croatia, Italy, Greece and Portugal, in addition to some 300 charters for cruise passengers
Renfe offers 18 million seats to travel between July 1 and September 15, more than 10% more than in 2022, with 7.5 million seats on AVE, Alvia, Euromed and Intercity trains, and more than 10 3 in medium distance, like the Avant and the regional ones.
Iryo, which entered the Spanish market in November 2021 to compete in high speed and low cost with Renfe, will offer 194 frequencies this weekend, although it does not provide passenger data. The other competitor, the French Ouigo, does not provide information on travelers or routes.
The BlaBlaCar owner-shared car service records 320,000 trips for this outbound operation, with an average distance of 358 kilometers and an average publication price of 18 euros, with Madrid, Seville and Valencia as the main destinations.
