Hotel rooms at record prices on the Costa del Sol: in the month of July, the prices of hotels on the Costa del Sol rose to the highest level ever. Even with the 24.5% price increase, there were more bookings last month than in July 2019, the last record visitor year.
It was a historic July for hotels on the Costa del Sol: more tourists, longer stays, increased occupancy, higher prices and an increase in profits compared to the previous best month of July in 2019.
TOURISM IS AT A HISTORICAL PEAK IN MALAGA PROVINCE
According to figures just released by Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE), local hotels booked three percent more than before the Covid-19 outbreak, with visitors keen to choose Malaga province, despite prices rising to record highs.
Last month, the price of an average hotel night was €167 in the province of Malaga, which is 24.5% higher than in the pre-pandemic period and five percent higher than last year. This number even exceeds the national and Andalusian regional average, and hotel rooms are sold at record prices.
RECORD OF HOTEL ROOMS: BOOKINGS ALSO IN HIGHER ROOM CATEGORIES
The reality behind the statistical numbers is even more shocking for an average tourist: in July, for example, there was only one free room in the Hotel Puente Romano, which was offered for €4,500 per night. Unsurprisingly, this also sold out. If you look for it near the end of the season, there are already available rooms and suites, and you can browse the prices to find accommodation with breakfast from €1,200 to €6,900 for 2 people.
Source: SurInEnglish
Nobu Hotel Marbella opened its doors 6 years ago
NUMBER OF VISITORS
All visitor data also confirms that the appeal of the Costa del Sol is stronger than ever.
Local hotels welcomed 693,528 guests in July, who spent a total of 2.58 million guest nights in southern Spain, of which more than 1.7 million were foreign tourists. This number clearly proves that international tourism has fully recovered after the epidemic and broke the record of July 2019.
Utilization of hotels - a. the record ratio of released hotel rooms to all available rooms – this July was slightly behind 2019, but it is important to note that more hotels are operating now than before the pandemic. The occupancy in July this year was 80.9%, while in the same period in 2019 it was 81.6%.
The Association of Hotel Owners of the Costa del Sol (Aehcos) predicts that hotel occupancy will exceed 86% in August.
RECORD PRICE OF HOTEL ROOMS - RECORD NUMBER OF VISITORS
"International tourism, which accounts for 60% of all demand in August, has recovered significantly compared to the 2022 level, while domestic tourism has fallen compared to the years 2021 and 2022," the association said.
In Andalucia, the Costa del Sol continues to lead tourist activity, accounting for almost 39% of all guest nights in the region's eight provinces. Andalusian hotels received a total of 2.1 million guests in July, which also represents an increase compared to the same month of the previous year.
The regional Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports explained that "again, the growth of the foreign market is responsible for this increase: the number of international guests increased by 11% and they spent the same number of guest nights".
Regional Tourism Minister Arturo Bernal said that the data show that Andalucia "continues to experience strong growth, especially thanks to the upswing in the international market".
ANDALUSIA, HOTEL ROOMS ARE BOOKED IN RECORD NUMBERS
He pointed out that between January and July this year, a total of 11.3 million visitors and 30.2 million guest nights were registered in Andalusian hotels, which represents an increase of nearly nine percent compared to the previous year.
According to the forecast of the Andalusian Regional Government (Junta de Andalucía), between August and October this year, the average will increase by 4% compared to last year. The forecast predicts a total of 48.5 million guest nights, which is 7% higher than in the same period of the previous year when applied to Andalusia.
THE MALAGA AIRPORT TOOK A TOP THIS SUMMER
July was a record month for Malaga Airport. Almost 2.5 million people visited the airport in one month, which is the highest monthly number of passengers since the airport opened. In 2023, 12.5 million passengers have used Malaga airport so far.
Passenger numbers continue to increase at Andalusia's airports. A total of 3.4 million passengers visited the region's airports. 100,000 passengers used Jerez airport, Seville airport reported 677,000 passengers, 93,000 passengers at Granada airport and 98,000 passengers at Almeria airport.
Source: Olivepress
THE NUMBER OF PRIVATE AIRPLANE DOUBLE
There were 1,300 non-commercial flights (takeoffs and landings) in July 2023, which is almost double the number of the same month last year, according to data from airport sources. This means an average of 40 aircraft movements per day.
Juan José Román, who heads a division of United Aviation, a company operating at Malaga airport, said that most customers come from the Persian Gulf countries. Some of these customers also bring the largest executive jets, which are commercial jets normally used to transport passengers but converted for private use. The Boeing 787 is the most commonly used, although private jets also fly the Boeing 737 or similar-sized Airbuses. The number of planes carrying passengers from Scandinavian countries has also increased significantly.
So the world's rich don't spare the money if they want a nice holiday in southern Spain: renting a private plane can cost from 17,000 euros to 150,000-250,000 euros per trip, depending on the type of plane and the distance. Moreover, many people are already arriving at their own property, as the construction and sale of luxury real estate have set historical records in the past period, and you can read more about this in our article.
