The Galician tourism sector expects an occupancy of between 70% and 80% for this Holy Week

The Galician tourism sector expects an occupancy of between 70% and 80% for this Holy Week

  • Between Thursday, March 28 and Sunday, March 31, these percentages rise to 90% and 100% in some areas.
  • Rural tourism and the Camino de Santiago concentrate the greatest demand.
  • The majority profile is that of local tourists, but reservations from travelers from Portugal, France and the United States stand out.

The forecasts of the Galician tourism sector for this Holy Week point to occupancy levels of between 70% and 80%. These are data from the survey carried out by the Galician Tourism Cluster this week, in which the sources consulted agree that the increase or decrease in these are conditioned by last minute reservations, very common in this holiday period and which depend, good average, weather.

 

The survey indicates that the maximum level of occupancy will be recorded between Thursday, March 28 and Sunday, March 31, in which in some areas they foresee occupancy percentages of 95% and 100%, such as on the Costa da Morte, and in some municipalities through which the Xacobeas routes pass. Rural tourism also concentrates a high demand for these days with an occupancy forecast of 80% in places such as the Ribeira Sacra.

 

Regarding the profile of travelers, in Galicia the reservations are aimed at local tourists, although with a notable presence of international tourists, mainly from Portugal, France and the United States.

 

Regarding prices, they tend to rise in the middle days of Holy Week and most of the accommodations consulted agree on an increase of approximately 10%, since raw materials rose between 10 and 20%.

 

Forecasts by area

 

Regarding the forecast by area, the city of A Coruña foresees good occupancy data for this Holy Week, it is expected that the majority visitor will be national or from Portugal.

 

On the Costa da Morte, occupancy figures of over 70% are expected to be reached, although data of 95% is also expected by the end of the Week.

 

In Santiago de Compostela the data indicates that occupancy will be close to 90%. In the Galician capital, the weight of international tourists stands out with percentages of up to 65%, mainly from Portugal, Italy, France, Germany and the United States.

 

The sources consulted in Ferrol predict a good Easter, although they are cautious with the data due to the impact that the weather usually has on the reserves.

 

In the province of Pontevedra, it is expected to reach occupancy figures similar to those of last year, between 60% and 80%. In this case, local and national tourism has a greater weight, and international tourism is present due to tourists from Portugal. In both cases, the Morrazo and Salnés areas mainly stand out.

 

In Ourense, good data is expected for this Holy Week and they hope to increase last-minute reservations if the weather is good, especially for Thursday, Friday and Saturday. The majority tourist in the province will be national and internal. In Lugo there are good expectations, especially in the Mariña area and in Lugo city.

 

Occupancy in the month of February

 

During the second month of 2024, Galician tourism strengthens its deseasonalization with an increase in travelers of 3%.

 

Data from the National Statistics Institute indicate that in February, coinciding with the Entroido, hotels and guesthouses increased the number of travelers and improved profitability. Galician hotels and guesthouses registered just over 202,000 travelers who stayed more than 364,000 nights, figures that represent increases of 3% and almost 4% respectively compared to last year.

 

These data confirm that Galician hotel accommodation registers three consecutive years of growth in demand in this second month of the year and reaches the second highest figure of the last two.

 

79% of hotel nights correspond to national tourism. The international market consolidates three consecutive years of growth in demand in the month of February with nearly 75,000 nights, the highest figure in recent years.

 

Profitability rose more than 8% and the hotel sector obtained total nominal income of nearly 13.8 million euros in the month of February, a figure that exceeds last year’s figure (by 8.4%) as well as the pre-pandemic value.