Costa del Sol August Forecast: 80.83% Occupancy vs 88.08% Last Year

Costa del Sol August Forecast: 80.83% Occupancy vs 88.08% Last Year

Hotel occupancy in the Costa del Sol is forecast at 80.83% for August, down from 88.08% last year. José Luque, president of the provincial hoteliers' association Aehcos, states these figures show a stagnation compared to 2022. More than seven points of decline in the peak holiday month.

The association's diagnosis, reported by La Opinión de Málaga, points to stagnation. Behind this euphemism are three stories: falling reservations, prices detached from national purchasing power, and a season that has stopped growing by inertia.

Prices as the prime suspect: 80 to 350 euros per night

The discussion highlights a specific price range: 80 or 100 euros for a basic room, 350 euros for one with a buffet, and a five-star hotel in the Canary Islands at 150 euros per night. Campgrounds are not spared: 3,000 euros a week for a bungalow and around 2,000 for a month-long tent pitch for three people. The complaint sums it up: national salaries, international tariffs.

Those who book notice this first on the ticket and then in their bank account. Comparisons with abroad have become common: one forum user calculates that ten days in Cancún with everything included might cost less than a week in a Mallorca aparthotel. In certain Asian areas, a luxury hotel costs 25 dollars per night.

Why do prices rise despite falling occupancy?

This is the thesis defended by part of the forum: bank loans do not negotiate. Much of the short-term rental supply was built with external financing, and monthly payments are due regardless of the month. No one can compete on price without going bankrupt, and those who try face fierce competition.

The inertia of previous seasons also does not help. In 2021, users already asked for 70% more than in 2019. This year, in the Costa Brava, another user mentions establishments charging 30% more for the same dates and guests. The forum repeats that those who bought at high prices cannot sell cheaply, and those who bought twenty years ago are unwilling to lower their prices.

Ibiza and the Costa Brava: user-submitted data

The season is not bad everywhere; it is uneven. In Ibiza, a sector worker claims a 70% occupancy rate, with offers for free children and two free days a week when one was usual. In the Costa Brava, another message claims 90% and a full summer. According to messages, those with high-spending foreign clients hold on; those relying on national tourists feel the strain.

The Canary Islands play a different game. A user vacationing there says their season is winter, when it becomes the only point with mild climate in the first world, receiving foreign retirees who cannot spend cold months in their countries due to joint issues, not taste. They compete with the Mediterranean in August and northern Europe in January. It is not the same.

National tourists withdraw, and hotels feel it

A hotel worker states plainly: they do not fill even weekends. For the last two summers, even with restrictions, occupancy was better, and reservations are split between Friday and Sunday instead of covering the entire weekend. People are still traveling, but for fewer days. He attributes this to the Euribor rate and inflation, which arrive before the suitcase.

The result is accounts that go backward. The same Costa Brava hotel, same dates, has gone from slightly over 2,000 euros a week to over 4,000 in two years, according to a forum message. And with a detail that throws off any family budget: children over 12 count as adults. This family has not decided not to go; they simply did the math and stayed away.

Residential rentals turning into short-term stays

There is a side effect with a name. A user describes a case of a long-term tenant with punctual payments who receives notice of non-renewal: in short-term rentals, the same apartment earns more. The decision is based on expectations, not guaranteed income, and a secure monthly rent is exchanged for uncertain turnover. According to the same message, the full calculation, done with each case's numbers, does not always compensate for the lost peace of mind.

Who is to blame: taxes, margins, or the end of cheap tourism?

There are three currents in the thread. One argues that lowering taxes for taxpayers and owners would return margins and reduce prices. Another responds that the problem is business margins and the dominant position of those setting prices. A third, deeper view points out that cheap air travel has an expiration date, and mass tourism will narrow from above, with flights reserved for those who can afford them. None of these alone explains an August with seven points less occupancy.

The 80.83% forecast ceases to be an anecdote when placed next to the summer visitor's bill: two coffees and a bacon sandwich, 9.90 euros in a working-class bar, according to a user working in Ibiza. The room, apart.