SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE/MADRID, July 1. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Canary Islands led overnight stays in tourist apartments in May with a total of 1,667,656, 367.5% more than in May 2021, although still 11% less than in May 2019, before the pandemic, according to provisional data from the Institute National Statistics (INE) made public this Friday.
In total, the archipelago received 1,419,749 overnight stays from foreigners and 247,907 from nationals, with an average stay of 6.72 days.
In addition, the occupation by apartments reached 60.9% and the subsector employed 10,240 people.
In Spain as a whole, overnight stays in tourist apartments increased by 254.5% last May. Those of residents rose by 52.7% while those of non-residents rose by 591.8%. The average stay increased by 14% compared to May 2021, standing at 4.7 overnight stays per traveler.
In May, 30.6% of the bedplaces offered in tourist apartments were occupied, 139% more than in the same month of 2021. The weekend occupancy rate by bedplaces stood at 35.8%, with a increase of 104.5%.
Overnight stays made by foreigners in this type of tourist accommodation represented 73.1% of the total, with the United Kingdom being the main issuing market, with more than 1.4 million. The next market was Germany, with 421,631.
By destinations, the Canary Islands was the preferred destination but the autonomous community with the highest occupancy was the Community of Madrid, with 76.9% of the apartments offered.
By tourist area, the Costa Blanca was the preferred destination, with 562,266 overnight stays, and the island of Lanzarote had the highest occupancy rate, with 71.6% of the apartments on offer. The tourist spots with the highest number of overnight stays were San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Arona and Tías.
In the accumulated Spanish apartments, campsites, rural accommodation and hostels, overnight stays soared last May to reach 9.7 million.
This means, according to the INE, multiplying by more than two (158.8%) the figure registered in the same month of 2021, when a total of 3.7 million overnight stays were registered.
This boost was a consequence, above all, of the 443.3% increase (five times more) in overnight stays by foreigners. Those of the Spaniards increased in the fifth month of the year by 47.3% compared to May of the previous year.
Of the 9.7 million overnight stays registered by the statistical institute in April, 3.9 million were residents of Spain, 3.1 million visitors from European Union countries and another 2.5 million from the rest of the world.
INE data show that the average stay in non-hotel accommodation in Spain stood at 3.6 overnight stays per traveler in May.
With all this, during the first five months of 2022, overnight stays in this type of non-hotel accommodation increased by 209.5% compared to the same period of the previous year.
With regard to overnight stays at campsites, they registered an increase of 75.6% in May compared to the same month of the previous year. Those of residents increased by 25.3 and those of non-residents, by 254.1%.
During May, 35.3% of the offered pitches were occupied, 18.1% more than in the same month of 2021. The weekend occupancy rate reached 40.6%, with an annual increase of 17, 8%.
44.3% of the overnight stays in campsites were made by non-resident travellers. The United Kingdom was the main issuing market, with 22.7% of the total of non-residents, 640.5% more than in May 2021.
Catalonia was the preferred destination to stay at campsites, with more than 1.3 million overnight stays, which represents an increase of 85.3% in the annual rate, while La Rioja reached the highest occupancy rate, with 53.9% of the plots offered. By tourist areas, the Costa Dorada was the preferred destination, with 522,070 overnight stays.
The Costa Blanca (Alicante) had the highest occupancy rate in the country, with 64.9% of the apartments offered, and the tourist spots with the most overnight stays were Benidorm, Mont-Roig del Camp and Tarragona.
The INE highlights that in the first five months of the year, overnight stays in campsites exceed the records for the same period in 2019, as well as rural accommodation, which also registered a positive month of May.
INCREASE IN RURAL ACCOMMODATION
Rural accommodation also had a good month in May, with an annual increase of 83.8% in May. Those of residents rose by 59.8% and those of non-residents, by 160.1%.
In rural tourism accommodation, 16.5% of the beds were occupied, 56% more than in April 2021. The weekend occupancy rate stood at 35%, with an annual increase of 61.8 %.
By communities, the Balearic Islands was the preferred destination, with 157,977 overnight stays, 80.2% more than in May 2021. This community also reached the highest occupancy rate, with 52.9% of the places offered.
By tourist areas, the island of Mallorca was the preferred destination, with 127,063 overnight stays. For its part, the island of Menorca reached the highest occupancy, with 56.3% of the places offered.
GALICIA, FAVORITE DESTINATION IN SHELTERS
The INE data referring to shelters show how a total of 677,496 overnight stays were registered in these accommodations in May, which represents an annual increase of 628.6%. Those of residents increased by 339% and those of non-residents, by 1,589.4%.
32.1% of the bedplaces were occupied, 323.8% more than in May 2021. The weekend occupancy rate reached 39%, with an increase of 302%.
Galicia was the preferred destination, with 140,423 overnight stays, while the Community of Madrid reached the highest occupancy, with 69.9% of the places offered. As is the case in campsites and rural tourism accommodation, overnight stays in hostels exceeded those registered in the same period in 2019 in the first five months of the year.
PRICE INCREASE
The increase in overnight stays is coupled with an increase in prices. The price index for tourist apartments (IPAP) increased by 13.5% in May compared to the same month in 2021, that of campsites (IPAC) by 2.2% and prices in rural tourism grew by 8.1%.
Data from the INE show that overnight stays in all Spanish collective tourist accommodation (hotels, apartments, campsites, rural tourism accommodation and hostels) increased by 256.5% in May in the annual rate. Those of residents rose by 88.6% and those of non-residents, by 591.4%.
The average stay grew by 28.2%, up to 3.2 overnight stays per traveler. Of the total overnight stays in collective tourist accommodation, 75.5% corresponded to hotels and 24.5% to non-hotel tourist accommodation.
The main issuing markets in the set of regulated tourist accommodation were the British (with 29% of the total overnight stays by non-residents), German (17.9%) and French (9.9%).
The Balearic Islands was the preferred destination, with more than 7.5 million overnight stays (581.7% more than in May 2021). They are followed by Catalonia, with more than 6.8 million (and an increase of 221.5%) and the Canary Islands, with more than 6.5 million (and an annual increase of 429.9%).
