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Date Published: 29/03/2022

ARCHIVED - Benidorm will have more tourists this Easter holiday than in the last 3 years

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Hoteliers in the Marina Baixa town, Alicante province, are highly "optimistic" about the first tourist test of 2022

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Benidorm will have more tourists this Easter holiday than in the last 3 years

Tourism has taken a monumental blow over the last three years, firstly with the crippling pandemic and subsequent movement restrictions and secondly Russia's invasion of Ukraine which threatens the foundations of security, particularly in Europe.

But Benidorm hoteliers are extremely "optimistic" that Easter Week will see a return of visitors to pre-pandemic levels and, provided there are "no more wobbles", expect the first tourist test of 2022 to be a success.

According to Toni Mayor, president the Valencia region's hotel employers association, Hosbec, "reservations for Holy Week at the moment are going very well".

Addressing the conflict in Ukraine, Mayor explained that "although the war has had some impact, because obviously there are no tourists coming from Ukraine at the moment, what is most noticeable are the secondary effects on the economy, with the increase in costs and the shortage of materials, which, amongst other things, is delaying the renovation of buildings."

But in terms of the recovery of tourism in Benidorm, bookings are going at a "good pace" and the sector hopes to repeat the figures recorded three years ago with Brits accounting for 35% of the imminent arrivals.

Also read: Holiday warning as travellers to Spain face huge delays

Since Easter 2020, last-minute bookings have proved to be a lifeline for tourism, with more late reservations made since then than prior to the health crisis.

During the Easter break, most of the hotels in Benidorm are expected to be open for the first time since 2019 with the Meliá Hotels International chain currently hiring more than 350 staff four its four hotels in the coastal resort: Meliá Villaitana, Meliá Benidorm, Sol Pelicanos Ocas and Sol Costablanca.

As for the hotel chain Magic Costa Blanca, five of its eight establishments are already open, with the remainder welcoming guests from April 1.

Echoing the Hosbec president's sentiments, Magic's executive vice-president, Javier García said: "We are confident that April will be the month of the reactivation of tourism and employment."

However, some hotels are still unable to open their doors, in some cases due to the national transport strike and the consequences of the Russia-Ukraine invasion, according to Hosbec.

In fact, the president himself admitted to experiencing problems at one of his hotels, Port Alicante Playa de San Juan, "because concrete could not be delivered".

Other issues hoterliers are having to overcome is a shortfall in the cost of Imerso breaks – the holiday scheme for pensioners sponsored by the Spanish Government. Hosbec calculates an overnight stay costs betwen 27 and 33 euros, but the government has offered participating hoteliers 22 euros per night, and the agreement is still under negotiation.

The scheme runs out-of-season, so is normally a welcome source of income from October to June, but Hosbec has stressed that "the increase in food and energy prices" means overnight stays could rise by up to 20%.

You might like: At night, under curfew and martial law: diary of the Beniorm expat who drove across Europe to help Ukraine

Image: Turismo Benidorm

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