The tourism sector foresees a good Easter

BarcelonaThe Catalan tourism sector expects Easter with high occupancy throughout the territory, with figures in many cases approaching or exceeding 90%. Good snow conditions in the Pyrenees and high demand on the coast after a rainy winter are boosting a campaign that is expected to be positive, especially from Maundy Thursday onwards. However, the international context marked by the war in the Middle East is beginning to have uneven effects. Barcelona is experiencing a slight drop in long-haul visitors, and rural houses anticipate last-minute bookings due to rising fuel costs.

The president of Hostelería de España, José Luis Álvarez, foresees a season similar to last year's and, regarding the conflict's effect on the profit and loss account, stated that the rise in fuel costs has not yet "been passed on to prices". In statements to Efe, however, he acknowledged that there is "some concern" about foreign tourism and transport problems. In fact, the Corporate Association of Specialized Travel Agencies (ACAVE) recognizes that this Easter there will already be "some hold-up" in travel bookings. "The traveler is waiting," indicates its vice-president, Rosó Morlà. However, she expects that in the summer destinations like Barcelona or the rest of Spain may register an increase in visitors, "instead of other destinations that are perceived as more dangerous".

In fact, the war conflict and uncertainty are changing some trends. The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, stated that the Spanish government is betting on inland and mountain destinations, in order to contribute to the development of these areas and redistribute wealth. The Spanish executive has been seeking a strategy for de-seasonalizing tourism and not just focusing on sun and beach. In this regard, Hereu said that the current strategy involves "deconcentrating destinations, diversifying proposals, and de-seasonalizing".

However, Easter continues to be one of the favorite times of the year for tourism. In Catalonia, this year, the ski resorts are registering the best snow conditions in recent years. The Tourism Board of the Diputació de Lleida estimates that between this Friday and Easter Monday, about 90,000 skiers will pass through the Lleida alpine and cross-country ski slopes. In this regard, the director of Baqueira Beret, Xavier Ubeira, highlights that the season has been "exceptional" and the snow depths suggest a "very good" week, according to ACN. The deputy director of mountain operations at Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat (FGC), Enric Serra, agrees that the forecast is "very good", not only because of the snow depths at the resorts but also because "it is very early".

For its part, the restaurant sector faces Easter with "highly positive" prospects, especially on the coast. The president of the Inter-county Federation of Hospitality, Catering and Tourism, Mingo Morillas, points out that after an unusually rainy winter, people "want to get out of the house and enjoy themselves", reports ACN. Therefore, he predicts a holiday period with restaurants in a large part of Catalonia being "full" and a high volume of reservations in the week before.

The Catalan Traffic Service (SCT) expects an "explosion of mobility" for the Easter departure operation due to the snow depths at the ski resorts and the good weather forecast, which will draw people towards the coastal areas. At Barcelona airport, from this Friday until Monday, April 6, 11,339 flights are expected, representing a slight increase of 2% compared to the same period last year. The days with the most scheduled movements are Monday the 6th, Friday the 3rd, and Sunday the 5th.

Likewise, Renfe has made available to Catalan travelers more than 920,000 seats on its AVE, Alvia, Euromed, Intercity, Medium Distance, and International AVE services for Easter. The corridor with the largest volume is the Madrid-Barcelona connection to Figueres, where more than 10,600 seats will be offered on high-speed trains during the days of highest demand. Although the Adamuz accident caused an unprecedented crisis on AVE trains, the ticket booking platform Trainline has already detected a change in trend. "The latest data point to a progressive recovery of normality, especially in periods of high demand such as Easter," explains the general manager of Trainline in Europe, Pedro García.

Decrease in Barcelona

Despite this, the sector in Barcelona anticipates a weaker Easter week, a slowdown that the Catalan capital has been registering for some time after years of record-breaking and tourist saturation. The employers' association for tourist apartments, for example, warns of a five-point drop compared to last year due to the international context. In this regard, the general director, Marian Muro, assures that the war in Iran is slowing down the arrival of visitors from the United States and the Middle East, a public very prone to visiting cities like Barcelona.

Thus, Barcelona's tourist accommodations anticipate an occupancy of 85% between Thursday and Monday. "We estimate that this translates to approximately 37,000 visitors," explains Muro, who points out that 90% of the clients will be families staying an average of four to five days, "much higher than other types of accommodation".

Regarding rural tourism, many visitors book at the last minute, and some are still hesitant due to the increased price of fuel caused by the war in the Middle East. The profile of clients continues to be mainly families from the metropolitan area of Barcelona. A trend that is also observed in Girona, where the Federation of Hospitality and Tourism of the Counties anticipates maintaining last year's figures, awaiting last-minute bookings due to cancellations of trips abroad because of the war.