MADRID, 26 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Spanish hotel groups are confident that this summer the best forecasts will be met and results will be recorded above the previous historical mark of 2019.

The desire to travel prevails over inflation, and the significant increase in prices has not stopped demand, which continues to be very strong and which will lead the main Spanish chains to once again record all-time highs for the sector and hang up the 'full' sign. ' in their establishments.

The results for the Meliá hotel offer no doubt. Reservations at its holiday hotels for this summer are currently 30% above the same period in 2019 despite the rate increase, which is also around 30% in some holiday and coastal destinations.

The United Kingdom, Germany and France are at the top of the issuing markets, and national tourists are back for yet another strong summer, increasing occupations and hanging the 'full' sign in many hotels.

In the case of Barceló, a "magnificent" summer is also anticipated, with an increase in rates in its establishments in Spain estimated to be between 6% and 7%, the increase rising to 20% if compared to the year 2019. And it is that the Spanish tourism market has recovered "better and faster than other European ones".

For NH, the occupancy of its hotels, especially the most touristic destinations, shows a good rhythm, highlighting especially destinations such as Andalusia with the best occupancy forecast, followed by the Balearic and Canary Islands. In destinations that are not so markedly summery, such as Madrid, Granada or Cáceres, despite not being as high as in tourist ones, occupancy also shows an improvement compared to that of the summer of 2022.

Also for the Sercotel chain, the occupancy forecasts for this summer are very positive, hoping to exceed 90% in the majority of national destinations with a presence. A panorama very similar to pre-pandemic periods and that in the case of cities like Madrid, occupancies above 75% are expected.

At the price level, Sercotel foresees an increase both with respect to the year 2019 (20%) and with the year 2022 (between 8 and 10%). RevPAR will also grow in 2023 and its forecast compared to last summer is set at growth of between 7% and 10% on average.

Destinations such as Barcelona capital, Bilbao, San Sebastián, Logroño or Vitoria or Valencia, could even reach growth levels of 15% to 20% compared to the summer of 2022, and between 30% and 40% over the summer of 2019.

For RIU Hotels and Resorts, the occupancy of its hotels in Spain for the period from May to October is around 70%, which represents an improvement both in occupancy figures and in the average rate compared to the previous year, still affected by the Omicrom variant.

Andalusia is the destination with the best occupancy forecast for the hotel run by the Riu family for this summer season followed by the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, highlighting the German and Belgian markets as the main international markets, as well as the national one in the case of the Balearic Islands. In the case of the Canary Islands, the English and Dutch markets also stand out. In Andalusia, the national, German and English markets predominate.

The rate increase of around 10% to alleviate the exponential increase in costs has been sustained by strong demand. Thus, although at the moment sales are below what was recorded for a year, due to the exhaustion of last year's 'champagne effect', the Mallorcan hotelier sees the season with "moderate optimism".

The Hotel Alliance is more optimistic, estimating that summer reservations will exceed those of 2019 and after closing Easter with an average occupancy rate of 85%, they are preparing to hang the full sign in some of their establishments this coming vacation. At the beginning of June, reservations stood at 78%, which, together with last-minute reservations, anticipates occupations close to 90%.

City tourism is registering a strong tourist pull this year in areas such as Barcelona, ​​Seville or Madrid. At an international level, the North American market stands out, even doubling the growth of traditional European markets such as France, the United Kingdom and Germany. .

In his case, despite the fact that record numbers of visitors and prices are expected, inflation and the rise in energy prices could affect the possible benefits achieved. It will be in the summer of 2024 when the sector shoots up again.

For the Piñero Group, a good summer is also anticipated with very high occupancies. Thus, in the case of its Bahía Principe Hotels division

They acknowledge that their rates have been affected by the effect of inflation but that the reserves have not suffered. The rate increase has been 12% in Spain and 8% globally, while reservations have registered an 8% sales increase for the Spanish market and 6% globally compared to 2022.

Tenerife and the Dominican Republic are the destinations that have performed best compared to last year and in the case of the Caribbean, they are the United States, Europe and Canada, with growth in the Latin American market.

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In the case of Palladium, reservations in the summer season are also advancing at a good pace and occupancy currently stands at 72% in global terms, including both national and international destinations.

For the hotelier of the Matutes family, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands lead the national destinations, and in the case of international destinations this year Sicily, Brazil, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic stand out.

The price increase has been sustained by the development of higher-end segments and the forecasts are therefore to close the season with figures even above those of the years prior to the pandemic. Thus, they expect moderate growth that will lead them to reach 1,000 million euros in volume of managed business by the end of the year for the first time.

In the case of Vincci hotels, sales forecasts are 7% above those of last year, in a year that was also a particularly good year with almost a 30% increase compared to 2019. All Spanish destinations They are working very well, highlighting especially Barcelona and the Canary Islands. Regarding international markets, the United Kingdom is in the lead, followed by France, the United States, Italy and Germany.

All the hotel chains agree in affirming that although in the first days after the announcement of the general elections by the Government there was a certain withdrawal of the demand, the calls for calm in the sector and the announcement of the Electoral Board to make the possibilities to be exempted from being part of polling stations, they have returned the reservations to the channel, although everyone recognizes that, evidently, the dates chosen are not the best for the tourism sector.