Latest figures released yesterday by the Spanish Institute of Statistics (INE) reveal that Spain welcomed a record-breaking 82.6 million tourists in 2018, up 0.9% on the previous year. However, with one in five tourists coming from the UK, the uncertainty and speculation surrounding post-Brexit travel plans could bring an end to the 9-year streak of record-breaking tourist numbers.
Traditionally, January is the busiest time for booking a summer holiday. This year, the number of early bookers appears to be even higher.
Despite the concerns about Brexit, during the first two weeks of January, enquiries and bookings by Brits for a self-catering Spanish summer getaway are up 0.35% compared to same period last year with bookings strong going forward, according to a spokesperson from Spain-Holiday.com.
“There is nothing to suggest that British tourists will not be able to continue with their holiday plans post-Brexit after March 29,” reassured Jannich Petersen, CEO of Spain-Holiday.com. “Even in a no-deal scenario, the European Commission has said flights to and from the UK will still be able to operate.”
This “business as normal” approach reinforces the messages of reassurance from the UK government, the European Commission and ABTA that travel will not be disrupted as they encourage Brits to book their holidays for after 29th March as normal.
Jannich Petersen attributes the continued popularity of self-catering holidays in Spain by the British holidaymaker, in part, to the favourable booking terms for independent travellers looking to book a holiday rental home on their website. The most popular payment terms on the website, which are set by individual holiday home owners, is a 25% refundable deposit.
“Our favourable reservation terms appeal to those who want to take advantage of early booking with a greater selection of fantastic holiday homes to choose from yet are still cautious about the impact that post-Brexit might have on their summer holiday” explained Jannich Petersen.
The most frequently searched destinations for summer 2019 are Marbella, Benalmádena and Nerja on the Costa del Sol, Costa Adeje on the island of Tenerife, and Benidorm on the Costa Blanca.
With more than 16,000 fully licenced, quality holiday homes available to rent throughout mainland Spain, the Balearic and Canary Islands, approximately 50% of beach properties are already booked for dates in the high season.
