A Happy Easter

Bumper Semana Santa for tourism businesses

SPAIN’S tourism sector is expecting to do big business this Easter, with forecasts suggesting that visitor numbers and spending will break records of recent years.

The end of Covid-19 restrictions will see the return of international visitors while Spaniards are also very keen to enjoy a domestic vacation. This has led to many hotels and other establishments to already hang up the ‘no vacancy’ sign, according to news agency Euro -

By Simon Hunter

pa Press.

Melia Hotels International, for example, has reported a 22% rise in sales compared to 2019 thanks both to price rises and the return of tourists from key markets such as the UK and Germany. This boost has been felt in particular in the Canary Islands, where hotels are already above 65% occupation levels.

Barcelo Hotel Group also reported a rise in sales, with average occupancy expected to be 10 percent -

POLICE have arrested three men in Madrid on suspicion of stealing €25,000 worth of wine from shops in the city’s upscale Salamanca district. Among the stolen bottles were Bordeaux wines from Chateaux Pétrus, one of which had a price tag of €6,700.

The suspects would first visit the stores in question to ask questions about high-priced wines, age points above that of 2022, and a major boost in revenue.

As for flights, bookings for trips into Spain are just

Pricey wine

before later returning to steal them. The arrests come after another high-profile case in Spain involving stolen wines.

In early March, a former Mexican beauty queen and her partner were sentenced to four years in prison for stealing 45 bottles of wine worth an estimated €1.6 million from a hotel.

3% below the numbers for the same period in 2019, Spanish daily El Pais reported, while domestic flights are up 12% on four years ago, the last Easter before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

Strikes

But there are worries that strikes in Germany where unions want above 10% pay rises could have an impact on popular destinations for Germans like the Balearics. The strikes have hit the aviation sector as well as ports and trains.