Canary Islands, preferred destination by the Spanish for Easter
The Dunes of Maspalomas. /
Reservations for said holiday period will reach 60% or 70% of the billing of the pre-pandemic level
travel reservations for
Easter will increase between 40% and 50% compared to 2021according to a survey on travel forecasts for this campaign carried out by the Corporate Association of Specialized Travel Agencies (Acave), which shows that the Canary Islands are the preferred destination by Spaniards for this festive period.
In addition, compared to 2019, the reservations for said holiday period will reach 60% or 70% of the billing of the pre-pandemic level. According to the president of Acave, Martín Sarrate, 2024 will be the year to recover the figures of 2019.
Regarding the figures for this 2022 campaign, Sarrate has highlighted that
the conflict in Ukraine has slowed the pace of bookings in recent weeksbut has shown his confidence that he will recover as Easter approaches.
In this sense, the survey indicates that 11% of the agencies consulted have not noticed any effect due to the
ukrainian War, while 72% affirm that the rate of reservations has slowed down, although there are no cancellations.
However,
10% of agencies have already recorded cancellations in recent weeks and are somewhat more concerned. Regarding the acceptance of the pandemic in the decision to travel, 58% consider that it is still affecting, while 52% believe that it is no longer a critical factor.
For national destinations,
Canary Islands is preferred by the Spanish, followed by others from the peninsular coast such as Catalonia, Valencia and Andalusia. Likewise, there is a significant rise in urban tourism, tourism related to
traditional Easter activities and rural tourismdue to the rise of outdoor and family activities.
As to
international destinations, Spaniards opt for trips to European capitals. In addition, there is a strong demand in destinations on the African continent, especially in countries of the Mediterranean arc such as Egypt, Tunisia or Morocco. Many reservations are also registered for the United States (New York) and to a lesser extent, Latin America and Asian countries.
Strong increase in bookings in the foreign market
According to the survey, incoming agencies consider that, on average,
there will be an increase between 30% and 40% compared to the same 2021 campaign.
Despite the good expectations, the prudence of travelers in the face of uncertainty has been noted, since, while 15% of agencies do not notice any effect from the war in Ukraine,
57% have registered a brake or even a stop in the pace of travel reservations.
On the contrary, 28% of the agencies have suffered cancellations due to the war and the rise in prices. Asked about the pandemic, 57% believe that it is still affecting the decision to travel, while 43% believe that it is no longer a critical factor.
By markets, the survey identifies a proportion of reserves of 70% international and 30% national. By country, the most important markets of origin will be in this order: France, the United Kingdom and Benelux, followed at a considerable distance by the Nordic countries, Portugal and the United States.
In addition to the attractiveness of the destination and the weather,
the main reasons for choosing Spainto They have been mainly the flexibility in the reservation conditions, quality / price ratio, and security and confidence in the application of the Covid measures.
