The long weekend in August once again confirmed the province of Alicante as a tourist centre in Spain. Over 325,000 visitors flocked to the region, resulting in a turnover of over 100 million euros. Hotels and holiday flats were almost fully booked and Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport recorded a new high of 1,885 flights, 202 more than the previous year.
The rush to Alicante resulted in high occupancy rates in the hotel industry. Coastal towns such as Benidorm, Calp and Alfàs del Pi in particular reported occupancy rates of up to 93 %. In the provincial capital of Alicante itself, the occupancy rate was around 95 %, comparable to the previous year's level.
Holiday flats also benefited from the high demand. Around 255,000 people stayed in these accommodations, which corresponds to an occupancy rate of 90 %. The Aptur association emphasises that 55 % of visitors came from abroad, with the majority of these guests being families.
In addition to air traffic and accommodation, cruise tourism was also a significant factor: two cruise ships with over 3,000 passengers docked in Alicante during the long weekend, which further boosted tourism.
However, the economic success highlights the structural deficits in the transport sector. At Alicante-Elche airport, there were long queues for taxis and buses, a problem that was already observed in June and is now also occurring during the day.
However, the tourism industry's expectations were fully met and the season continues to show its strongest side.
