Benidorm hoteliers are scared they’re losing Brits to Turkey and Egypt – here’s why
HOTEL leaders in Benidorm are calling for urgent action after fearing they're losing Brit tourists and with them a big slice of their main holiday market.
New figures reveal that in the first two weeks of May, the traditional start of the season, the number of British holidaymakers has dropped by five per cent.
According to the hotel management group Hosbec, the rest of the international sector is also down compared with last year and the blame is being put
on the resurging markets of Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia.
Data reveals hotel occupancy in Benidorm was 81.6 per cent in the first half of May, which represents a decrease of 2.2 points compared to 2017.
This drop is only being offset by the recuperation of the Spanish market which plummeted last season but has now bounced back to show an increase of eight per cent in the number of overnight stays.
Hosbec says Benidorm "must work for the diversification of markets" and step up its promotions in the UK to recover lost holidaymakers.
The hotel group said in a statement: "The opening of tourist destinations in countries such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia is diverting traffic from European tourists to them.
"The most important effect is found in British tourism, where we observe that there is a flight to other destinations or to other business models (illegal accommodations) in the lower part of purchasing power.
"Since the beginning of the year 2017 the British market is losing space in the hotel occupation of Benidorm.";
"In the first half of this May, a difference of 4.7 points has been observed compared to the previous period, although it totals 240,000 overnight stays.
"Spanish tourists are up eight per cent in number of overnight stays although this growth (15,000 more overnight stays until 195,000 in the fortnight) is not enough to offset the fall in international tourism."
The concerns come as locals call for urgent meetings between bar and club owners and the police to curb anti-social behaviour in the tourist resort which, they claim, has rocketed in recent weeks.
The local council recently revealed a clampdown on what is being described as "uncivic tourism" but local party Ciudadanos says much more has to be done.
It claims the number of unruly incidents in the last few weeks has exceeded the police presence and wants "more forceful" behaviour.
In 2016, at the request of Ciudadanos, Benidorm council agreed to draw up a list of rules to regulate boozy behaviour - as already in force in Magaluf where tough fines are being handed out.
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Despite the drop, the United Kingdom remains the main market for Benidorm with a share of 49.5 per cent. Spain is next with 40.3 per cent.
The third sector on the list is Belgium with just 3.6 per cent, followed by Holland 2.4 per cent and Ireland 1.6 per cent. France, Portugal, Iceland, Poland, Norway, Russia, Germany and Sweden represent only a tiny share of the market.
By category, 4 star hotels show the worst occupancy they have registered, while the 3-star segment has grown in popularity since 2017.
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