The lifting of travel restrictions and lockdown measures have provided an additional flow of guests for Spain’s reopening hotels. Increasing from low points in the single digits, Spain’s occupancy level reached a high of 45% on 11 July thanks to domestic and some international leisure demand.
However, restrictions have been reimplemented in response to rising COVID-19 caseloads in Spain, leading to minor occupancy dips in the country over the past week. That raises the question: how will the remainder of the summer season play out for Spain’s hotels?
Last-minute cancellations on the rise
Last-minute cancellations in Spain increased after new isolation rules were announced by six European countries. Canary and Balearic Islands short-term cancellations continue to be prevalent through August, usually one of the market’s strongest months. As a result, pickup for the next 83 days (as of 3 August) sat mostly below 0%.
At the same time, pickup remained positive in Barcelona and Madrid but fell off for the rest of 2020 due to continued uncertainty and increased capacity allowing for shorter booking times.
