Waiting lists at campsites and a flood of reservations: countdown to the great eclipse in Catalonia

"We'll soon be hanging up the "full" sign," says Aleix Roig, head of the Prades Mountains Astronomical Park, with still twelve months to go until Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and other specific parts of the country will be plunged into darkness by the total solar eclipse of 2026.

The fact that one of these characteristics will be experienced in Catalonia on the 10th—and that it won't be repeated for more than a century—has caused interest in finding a place to sleep in the areas where it will be visible to skyrocket, even though there are still twelve months to go until the appointed day.

To understand the magnitude of the phenomenon, a good example is the solar eclipse that could be seen in 2017 from the United States: it interested 88% of American adults, and it is considered to have been economically equivalent to celebrating 50 Superbowls.

In statements to ACN, Roig stated that in the Prades area, "most accommodations are already at occupancy rates above 80%" and insisted that given this flood of visitors, it will be necessary to plan their arrival so that it is staggered.

The fascination and rush to secure accommodation has also been noticed at the campsites. For example, at the Prades Campsite—the establishment with the largest number of spaces in the area—although they have not yet opened reservations for next year, they already have sixty families on the waiting list.

The flood of reservations to secure a place to sleep during the days of the eclipse has not only been noticed in Prades, but also in other parts of Camp de Tarragona and the Ebro (where the eclipse will be visible for longer, up to a minute and a half), as well as in places throughout the rest of Spain. In fact, the eclipse is expected to be visible from Lleida, Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia, Palma and the surrounding areas, areas where companies like Airbnb have noticed an increase in demand for rural accommodation of more than 800% around that time.

From Russia to the Balearic Islands

The path of the total eclipse will begin on the Russian coast of the Laptev Sea, pass very close to the North Pole, and then sweep across Greenland. The path of totality will then descend toward the Atlantic Ocean and the Iberian Peninsula. In fact, it will cross the peninsula during the night and end in the Balearic Islands at sunset. The specific path is determined by the positions and motion of the three celestial bodies involved in the phenomenon: the Sun, the Moon, and the Earth.