A few days before the start of the Semana Santa holidays, hotel reservations on Ibiza and Formentera are “at 6% of what they were” in the same period of 2019, a year before the health crisis began, according to José MarÃa Ramón, CEO of Neobookings, the booking engine that controls more than 60% of the bed vacancies in the Pitiusas and operates both with hotels and online travel agencies, the OTAs.
“If we compare the current Semana Santa with that of 2019, and although there are still a few days left, we are at 6% of what the bookings were then. We’ll see what happens, as reservations are being made less and less in advance,” Ramón explains. In addition, the fact that the weather (which has been gray, windy and wet for weeks) is expected to ease in Spain from Thursday onwards will help to improve sales. The good weather could boost bookings.
According to Neobookings data, 29% of tourists, the majority, will stay in Platja d’en Bossa, while 17% will stay in the bay of Sant Antoni, 15% in the center of Vila, 11% in ses Figueretes, 7% in the bay of Talamanca (i.e. 33% in the entire municipality of Ibiza), 7% in Sant Antoni, 4% in Santa Eulà ria and 3% in es Canar.
Mostly Spaniards during Semana Santa
Most of the clients will be Spanish, 26%, while there will be around 21% British, 10% Italians and 6% both French and Germans.
Ramón highlights how the Swiss market has grown, which will account for 3% of the total and “at this time of year did not usually come to the island”. The English, German and Spanish markets are growing with respect to 2019, but the French, Italian and Dutch markets are down.
Also striking is the rise in the daily price for accommodation, whose average recorded an increase of 21%: it goes from 89 euros in 2021 to almost 108 this year. But that percentage is even higher, 25%, when compared to 86 euros in 2019.
47% of the bookings are to spend between two and three nights in the Pitiusas, and 32% to stay between four and six days
During Semana Santa, according to the Neobookings’ data, the average stay will also improve, which will be 3.41 days, when in 2019 it was 3.25, and in 2021, 3.26 days. 47% of the bookings are to spend between two and three nights in the Pitiusas, and 32% to stay between four and six days. 9% are to stay between one week and 10 nights, and 10% are for only one day.
On the other hand, according to a study carried out by Holidu, the search engine for holiday homes, this type of stay will register an occupancy rate of 63% on Ibiza and 56% on Formentera at Easter, while in Mallorca and Menorca it will be 75%.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.