By Andrew Atkinson
According to Hostetur President Soledad Díaz, Hotel occupancy in the Murcia Region has consisted almost entirely of Spanish nationals this summer – a major boost for the sector after the coronovirus pandemic.
Hostetur, the association representing hotels and tourist accommodation on the Costa Cálida, reports that 80-85% of coastal hotel beds were occupied in August, mainly taken by national tourism.
“With August the Spanish summer holiday period, domestic travel has saved the season,” said Hostetur President Soledad Díaz.
With uncertainty still surrounding travel, citing UK flights, thousands of British annual tourists skipped the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida, due to the ‘traffic light’ system.
The uncertainty of the UK Amber, red or green status, led largely to domestic tourism, rather than international travel.
Spain’s Hotel sector was one of the worst affected by Covid-19 as the initial coronavirus pandemic led to the introduction of travel restrictions.
The Covid-19 vaccination programme kicked in this year, aiding the return of foreign and domestic travel, following lockdown.
In the Region of Murcia hotel occupancy in August approached pre-pandemic levels.
The July CTH (Coyuntura turística hotelera) from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) record 121,567 travellers stayed in Murcian hotels during July – with 104,632 Spanish residents – and 16,935 foreigners.
Overnight stays increased by 125% in July nationally compared to July 2020.
The official figures for August will be published in early September.
