Costa del Sol hotels forecast a strong start to the summer season with good occupancy rates for May and June

The figures for April are in and, despite not having the usual boost of Easter falling in the month, some resorts managed to fill 86% of their rooms

Pilar Martínez

Malaga

Wednesday, 1 May 2024 | Updated 02/05/2024 15:51h.

Costa del Sol and Malaga province hotels will be more than 80% full in both May and June, according to the sector's first forecasts for the busy summer period.

The Costa del Sol Hoteliers’ Association (Aehcos) predicts occupancy in June to be already equal to the figure for the same month last year and that May is also above 82% of rooms booked. This comes after April, which despite not having the usual boost from Easter, ended with an occupancy rate of 81.3%, only two points less than last year.

Aehcos president José Luque said: "This is a positive figure for tourism if we take into account that last year the Easter holidays were in April, so the hotel sector has recorded an acceptable month and the expectations are hopeful for the coming months".

First summer forecasts predict 82.2% occupancy in May, only three points below last year, and 82.6% in June, just a few tenths of a point above the record 2023 figure, although there is still time for more bookings to come through.

Balance sheet for the four-month period

Costa del Sol hotels closed the first four months of the year with an occupancy rate of 71.4%, which is 2.1% more than in the first four months of 2023 when 69.9% was recorded. "Despite the fact that inflation is still at high levels, the performance is slightly better than last year due to the pull of international demand, although we cannot ignore important factors that concern us, such as the profitability of the sector, which has been reduced precisely because of the rise in prices," Aehcos said.

International visitors accounted for 70% of the total number of bookings in the first four months of 2024 on the Costa del Sol, while domestic tourism accounted for 30%.

As for the most popular destinations in Malaga province in April, the Axarquia stands out with the best occupancy rate, exceeding 86%, followed by Marbella and Torremolinos, which exceeded 81%. Close behind are Mijas, with 74.5%, and Frigiliana-Torrox, with 71%.

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