4 May 2014
Expectations were surpassed during the entire Easter Week holiday in the Malaga region, from Nerja to Manilva. Hotel occupancy has surpassed the figures from last year during the entire week. Occupancy started peaking on Good Friday and continued until Easter Sunday, maintaining a media of 90%, with peaks near 100% from Easter Thursday. “It has been the best Eatser Week in a long time. It was what we were hoping for, and it confirmed the statistics” said Malaga’s Mayor, Francisco de la Torre.
The most optimistic forecasts were surpassed for Easter Week. Weather was good, and the complementary offers have allowed hotels in Costa del Sol to achieve over average occupancy. The Costa del Sol Hoteliers’ Association initial assessment shows 76% hotel occupancy, 4% more than their expected estimates. The Association points out that the number of last minute room reservations increased, due to the good weather and the recent transfer of confidence in the Spanish tourist market.
Marbella’s hotels ended Easter Week with the best occupancy rates in the last seven years, as noted by the Mayor, Ángeles Muñoz. Ms. Muñoz said that with an average occupancy of 90%, data reflects a growth of 20% over the same period in 2013 and the trend that had been experienced in previous years was broken.
But it is not only hotels that have been occupied during Easter Week. In Velez-Málaga, tourist apartments have recorded an average occupancy of 87%, while campsites recorded an average occupancy around 70%. The peak of tourists visiting during Holy Week has had a direct effect in the local economy. Data registered in the city of Malaga, tourists have spent 29 million euros, five more than last year. More than 323.000 people have visited the city’s historical city center during the days when religious processions have taken place, according to data gathered by the Development and Planning Society.
Hotel and shopping center cash registers worked non-stop in the province. The Entrepeneur Association of Estepona, for instance, did not hesitate to say that sales were better than last year. The Merchants and Entrepreneurs Association of Torre del Mar’s president, Manuel Frutos, pointed out that even though they still have no final data, there were increased sales in stores and also in bars and restaurants.
To add to the above, Nerja Taxis also had a record Easter week with more transfers being made from Malaga Airport than any previous year.
