The Association of Hotel Entrepreneurs of the Costa de Sol (Aehcos) is finalizing the closing data for the month of October – in the absence of the occupation data for this weekend – and the surprise has been pleasant: the month ends in the province with a hotel occupancy of 70.56%.
A) Yes, October closes 13.5 points above the estimates that hoteliers initially made. “The recovery of international tourism is being key for the sector. This recovery is motivated by the complicity of two factors. On the one hand, we are enjoying a late summer and this lengthening of the summer season is clearly benefiting us. Along with the great weather in October, there is the elimination of travel restrictions. This tandem has made reality have exceeded initial forecasts. Hopefully we continue with this trend ”, says the president of Aehcos, José Luque.
The data support his opinion, since according to what the hoteliers of the province have communicated, 66.18% of the tourists who have visited the Costa del Sol in October have been of international origin. The national demand that has maintained the sector during the toughest months of the pandemic now represents 33.85 of all tourists.
With respect to 2019, the month closes seven points below.
Tourists by municipalities
The municipality with the highest percentage of occupation in October was Nerja, with 87.47% occupancy. They are followed by Valle del Guadalhorce (86%), Málaga (87.47%) and Antequera (81.26%). At the opposite end is Fuengirola, which does not reach 40%.
Regarding the forecasts for November, Aehcos observes a slight improvement. If at first the hoteliers anticipated an occupancy of 35.29%, the data show the possibility that this percentage will escalate to 43.68%. “For November, international tourism will be essential, since it is expected that 76% of the total tourists will be international”, adds José Luque.