Costa Tropical hotels forecast a bumper summer despite higher prices

Last summer Granada province came close to recovering its level of domestic tourists, but the destination is still limping along on the international front. It still lacks 35% of the foreign visitors it received before the pandemic. A situation that could be reversed this year, with both travel agencies and hotels holding good expectations.

"We still haven't recovered all the Asian tourists who are very important for Granada because they are very much into monuments, but some Chinese are starting to come and the Korean market is on the right track.... There has been a recovery in Europe and we now have 70% of the Americans who used to visit us", the president of the Association of Travel Agencies, Juan Peláez, has revealed. In addition, Granada is starting to receive travellers from South America, who before the pandemic were "very rare", in greater numbers.

The French, who have been responding very well for the last two years, will continue to be the 'top' visitors this summer, while national tourists will be concentrated on the beaches, with a key influx of holidaymakers from Madrid and local tourists from other Andalusian provinces.

"Thanks to the international push, we are expecting a better summer in Granada city than last year, which was already good considering where we came from. The trend is upwards, we hope to reach an average of between 60 and 70% occupancy, which would already be good," said Trinitario Betoret, president of the provincial accommodation association, which, like the travel agencies, is part of the provincial federation of hotels and tourism.

These tourist numbers will be fundamental for businesses to achieve balanced levels of profitability, according to Betoret, who reminded that the energy costs of these large establishments soar in summer. In Granada city, hotels will increase their prices by 5% on average, compared to the previous summer. Establishments on the Costa Tropical, which are expecting a summer of record occupancy, thanks mainly to the faithful domestic tourists - mainly from Madrid, Andalucía and Barcelona - who account for 80% of the bookings, will be able to push up prices a little more.

"This month of June we are suffering because of the irregular weather and the greater competition from other coastal areas, but the season is looking extraordinarily good," said Jesús Megías, president of the association of hoteliers of the Costa Tropical, who is happy.

Prices in the three and four star hotels on the coast will range between 120 and 250 euros per night, some 8% more than last summer.

"The coast is a preferential destination, our shores are unparalleled in Spain and the offer of beach bars is getting better and better," said the president of the hoteliers, who rejected the strategy of lowering prices to fend off the competition from other areas. "People are not being put off by the general price increase and on the Costa Tropical we have a high percentage of more than 35% of repeat customers," he concluded.