Hotels in the Algarve enjoyed a ‘Spanish invasion’ in March, with the number of Spanish tourists staying at local hotels up an incredible 140% compared to the same month last year.
The number of Portuguese tourists at Algarve hotels also grew 35%.
However, ‘Brexit’ appears to continue to take its toll on the number of Brits travelling to the Algarve. Data from the region’s hotel association (AHETA) shows that there was a 5.3% decrease in the number of British holidaymakers staying at Algarve hotels.
Taking all nationalities into account, the number of hotel rooms booked in the Algarve in March fell 1.1% compared to the previous year – in other words, 53.8% of the region’s hotel rooms were booked.
The good news is that the business volume at hotels grew 13.6%.
AHETA says the increases in Spanish and Portuguese tourists as well as the business volume boom was due to the Easter season, which coincided with the last days of the month.
michael.bruxo@algarveresident.com
