The Copa del América effect in hotels and tourist apartments is already beginning to be noticed. Nine months before the start of the regattas, establishments are registering the first reservations for what is expected to be a full house in September and, above all, in October of next year. The hotels in Barcelona with the best views of the sea, such as the Arts or the W, no longer have rooms available in the search engines during the days of the final regattas, between October 12 and 20, and the prices of the four-star establishments and five stars are already moving upward during that month.
Expectations among the hotel and apartment sectors are very high. The America’s Cup is presented as a great attraction to attract, first of all, more American visitors. Not in vain, in this country the regatta enjoys great popularity since it has defended the coveted trophy the most times. In this way, it is expected to consolidate what is already Barcelona’s first international tourist market. It is also expected to encourage other local markets, such as the French, Italian and Swiss, which also compete in what is considered the queen of regattas.
The extensive schedule of the Copa del América, with the last preliminaries in August; the Louis Vuitton Cup between August and September (in which the five challenging teams will compete); The women’s and youth cups (between September 26 and October 16) and the great challenge, which will culminate on October 20, fuel expectations. Hotels like the Arts and the W – privileged viewpoints over the regatta course – already have their rooms blocked and prices in high-end apartments in Ciutat Vella, which now cost around 200 euros per night, will skyrocket to 700 by October 2024. In establishments such as Le Meridien, BCN Edition or Cotton House it is no longer possible to spend the night for less than 500 euros.
“It is a fantastic opportunity, Barcelona will have a combination of visitors with high purchasing power next October,” says Enrique Alcántara, president of the Barcelona Tourist Apartments Association. The truth is that October is usually between the second and third best months in terms of occupancy for Barcelona since international medical congresses coincide with peak cruise weeks.
“The America’s Cup audience, who schedule stays of a week or more, is very interested in the apartments,” adds Alcántara, who highlights that without this offer, which represents 30% of the accommodation available in the city, “Barcelona “It could not absorb the demand that is expected during the event.”
The sector is preparing for a foreseeable increase in international reserves in a couple of weeks, when the second preliminary regattas that will be held next week in Jiddah (Saudi Arabia) have finished. A few months ago, the Fundació Barcelona Capital Nàutica (FBCN) gave a session to the hotel sector to explain not only the calendar of the event, but also the main scenarios and parallel events that are planned in the city from August 2024 until the end of October. .
