This April’s hotel occupancy figures for the Algarve show a concerning drop of close on 10% compared to last April.The average overall occupancy rate per room in the Algarve was 58.3% for the month, 9.7% down on 2017, according to figures just released by the Algarve Hoteliers’ Association - AHETA.
The largest group of absentees were the pre-Brexit British, down 20.5%, followed by the Dutch, (-14.6%), German (-11.9%). Of the smaller markets, the Spanish visitors to the region’s hotels were down 43.1% and home grown Portuguese visitors, down 10%.
By geographical areas, the lowest hotel occupancy figures were in Portimão, Praia da Rocha and Alvor (-27.1%), Lagos and Sagres (-16.9%) and Monte Gordo and Vila Real de Santo António (- 14, 9%), with negative results in all the region’s areas.
By geographical areas, the lowest hotel occupancy figures were in Portimão, Praia da Rocha and Alvor (-27.1%), Lagos and Sagres (-16.9%) and Monte Gordo and Vila Real de Santo António (- 14, 9%), with negative results in all the region’s areas.
The main reason was Easter: occupancy rates and sales volume in April were "negatively influenced by the fact that Easter Sunday was on the first day of the month, leaving the preceding Easter break holiday days to boost the March hotel figures.
"Easter was to blame for the great fall of national and Spanish tourists this month. The decline of the British market cannot be dissociated from Brexit," claimed the AHETA.
Of additional concern, the hoteliers’ association saw the decline in tourists as largely due to the recovery of the main competing destinations such as Turkey, Egypt, Tunisia, Greece and Croatia.”
