Costa Blanca tourism is certainly bucking the low-season trend.
Alicante is showing a strong start to November, according to data from the Costa Blanca and the towns in the south of the province. Hoteliers describe the Costa Blanca as entering the month with clear signs of a more energetic tourism scene.
Across the Costa Blanca, average hotel occupancy has reached 77%, which is a healthy leap from previous years. This rise reflects the return of the domestic traveller and the reliable loyalty of international visitors. In Alicante South, occupancy has reached 74.3%, also higher than last year’s 67.9%, confirming that the area continues to attract guests even outside the busy summer period.
HOSBEC explains that the type of traveller shows a balanced mix between domestic and European guests. Spaniards make up almost half of all stays at 48.7%, followed by the United Kingdom with 14.1%, Norway with 8.9% and Belgium with 6.3%. German visitors account for 3%, Dutch travellers for 3.2%, and other markets such as Poland, Ireland and Sweden also help to keep hotels busy during this quieter part of the year.
Costa Blanca tourism: Domestic market
In the southern area, the domestic market carries even more weight at 66.3%, although the British market remains very steady at 7.6%. Germany contributes 3.4%, France 2.7% and both the Netherlands and Belgium 2.6%. According to hoteliers, this mix allows the south of Alicante to maintain strong occupancy levels despite the seasonal slowdown, helped by short breaks, weekend trips and a loyal customer base.
Meanwhile, Benidorm continues to show its talent for keeping hotel occupancy high after the summer rush. Although a number of hotels have closed temporarily, those that remain open are doing exceptionally well. For the first half of November, Benidorm reached 83.3% occupancy, an improvement on last year. These numbers place the city at the very top when compared with other destinations, according to HOSBEC.
Benidorm: The tourism king
HOSBEC describes Benidorm as the king of autumn tourism, registering the best occupancy figures in the entire Valencian Community. With 83.3% occupancy, it is two points higher than last year’s 81.4%. For the association, Benidorm has once again proven why it is one of the most reliable and popular destinations in the region, showing great strength outside the traditional peak months.
In the analysis of visitor profiles, international tourism takes the lead, surpassing the domestic market. This is no surprise, as the city has just celebrated two major events, the Patron Saint Festival and the Fancy Dress Party, the latter drawing strong interest from British visitors. British tourists are the largest group in Benidorm, making up 46.3% of total stays, just a little lower than last year’s 47.7%.
Domestic tourism also shows a steady performance, contributing 37.2%. The rest of the markets remain stable, with Belgium at 4%, the Netherlands at 3.2% and Ireland at 2.6%, all similar to previous years.
Hotel categories show a mixed pattern. Three star hotels reach 83.8% occupancy, similar to 2014, while four star hotels have improved their results to 83.2%, an increase of 4.2 points.
Pre-Christmas tourism
Looking towards the second half of November, bookings are already at 72%. This is quite normal as the pre-Christmas period approaches, but it still shows a very healthy level of activity in the middle of what is usually the quieter season. Overall, Benidorm finishes the first half of the month with strong tourism momentum, excellent loyalty from international guests and a domestic market that continues to support the destination.
HOSBEC highlights that breaking the pattern of seasonal tourism is one of the sector’s main goals. It forms part of the wider sustainability plan and aims to create added value throughout the entire year. They explain that this strategy is working, and the occupancy figures for the first half of November show that hotels in the Valencian Community are winning the battle against seasonality and steadily building an activity that benefits many other sectors and society as a whole.
