The trips planned at the last minute are saving many hotels in the Region that have seen how the expectations of the beginning of summer have been deflating, especially due to the exorbitant initial prices. Reservations made just two or three days in advance have increased occupancy by up to 20% until the August bridge, according to hotel organizations. The survey of the Ministry of Tourism among businessmen indicates that the occupancy of hotels on the Costa Cálida in the first half of August, located at 90%, has managed to reach the level prior to the pandemic.
“We have noticed that we have reached the zenith of a trend that has been taking place for years both on the part of the client and the tourism industry,” explains the president of the Association of Hotels and Accommodation of the Costa Cálida (Hostetur), José Catalá . “The prices have been exaggerated, up to 25% higher, so many customers have waited until the end to try to catch an interesting offer,” says the director of the Thalasia hotel in San Pedro del Pinatar. But it affects that more than the behavior of people is actually due to the sector. «When it is observed that the hotel is not going to fill its rooms, it decides to launch a special last-minute offer that captures the attention of many clients: it is a big bubble, since it is not a spontaneous reaction of the market but of the industry itself» emphasizes Catalá.
La Manga was the area that received the most tourists last fortnight, with hotels at 93%, three points more than in the same period last year. Águilas also registered a greater influx, with more than 90%, above the previous year. The president of Hosteáguilas, María José Serrano, clarifies that last-minute reservations account for 8% of the total. For their part, Mar Menor and Mazarrón remain at 86% and 85%, respectively. The director of the Hotel Bahía, Soledad Díaz, highlights that they have touched 100% during the long weekend, and the prospects are very good.
There are also hotels that benefit from booking less than 72 hours in advance when availability is lower and the cost of rooms is high. «When La Manga is almost full, and the price of what remains becomes more expensive, the client usually continues to want that destination, but moves a little further away; in that case, he stays in Cartagena,” says Bartolomé Vera, president of the business association of hoteliers in the Region.
For Vera, the Region is one of the most attractive communities because “the prices are low since it is not a consolidated, first-rate destination like Malvarrosa or Benidorm.” “We are not in the client’s mind at first, but we are the only option they have due to price and availability”, especially when the Valencia Community -the Region’s top competitor-, raises the full bill, Vera specifies. He reveals that a few days ago there was only 60% occupancy for the bridge. Among the reasons why fewer customers come is the lack of good communications, especially with Madrid. “Customers decide not to go to the coast of the Region because we lack connections by plane and trains in good conditions,” Vera settles.
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