Madrid (EFE).- Tourism will contribute 172,200 million euros to GDP this year, 9.4% more than in 2019, the pre-pandemic year, although in real terms (discounting the effect of the price increase) it will remain 1, 9% below then, according to the forecasts of the Exceltur tourism alliance.
The executive vice president of Exceltur, José Luis Zoreda, explained in a meeting with the media this Thursday that last Easter has been “excellent” and also the closing of the first quarter, which concluded with an increase in nominal sales of 10.8% over 2019 (in real terms it fell by 1.5%).
However, Zoreda has drawn attention to the worse relative evolution of tourism with respect to the economy as a whole, with a drop in real terms of only 0.2% over 2019.
The improvement in the sector will be the result of the recovery in the number of clients, especially international demand, and the rise in prices by 7.7% in 2023 over 2022.
Rising prices to offset costs and recover margins
Exceltur explains the increase in prices by the partial compensation of the increase in costs (energy, supplies, financial and wages); due to the repositioning of the offer towards greater added value (the number of beds in 4 and 5-star hotels has risen by around 6%), and due to the need to recover margins to face the high debt accumulated in the pandemic .
The improvement in income has made it possible to accelerate the creation of employment, which has risen 5.7% at the end of March over that month of 2019 (108,00 more people) which, in addition, is mostly permanent (91%) thanks to labor reform.
Domestic travelers will continue to move strongly and will finish a second year above 2019, after having already done so in 2021.
The recovery of the mice segment (conferences and incentives), together with that of foreign and national tourists; the repositioning of brands and the boost in long-distance travel explain, in part, these positive developments, according to Exceltur’s Director of Studies, Oscar Perelli.
Among foreigners who come to Spain, the average stay is rising, with higher prices and “better profiles”, which is also driving up average spending.
Stabilized national demand
National demand remains strong but stabilized, with growth at both extremes: both the highest priced products and the cheapest are up, while the intermediate segment lags somewhat further behind.
The areas with the best evolution have been the Canary Islands, now that its high season is ending and it has had “exceptional” results; to a lesser extent, the Balearic Islands (in low season), Andalusia and inland communities such as Extremadura, the two Castillas and Aragón (due to the ski resorts).
Among the large source markets, the United Kingdom and Germany, they are more withdrawn, while France and the rest of Europe show more dynamism, the North American market also observes a very positive evolution and travelers from Mexico grow by 70%.