Travel agencies in Spain close a good summer, expect the same for autumn

03-09-22

The summer season is coming to an end and the most optimistic forecasts of the travel agencies are being fulfilled as they are reaching the figures for 2019, according to the presidents of the sector associations to AGENTTRAVEL.

Carlos Garrido, president of the Spanish Confederation of Travel Agencies (CEAV), confirms that the summer has been "very good". "It is noticeable that there was a great desire to travel, as since spring there has been a high rate of sales until reaching similar levels in 2019", he points out.

For his part, Jordi Martí, president of the Corporate Association of Specialised Travel Agencies (Acave), says that all the assessments they are collecting indicate that this summer has exceeded all forecasts in terms of bookings and turnover for travel agencies in both outbound and inbound.

"It is very likely that the booking figures for the 2019 season have practically been equalled," he says.

According to INE data, 9.2 million international tourists arrived in Spain in July, which doubled the arrivals of the same period last year. These arrivals accounted for almost 90% of those of July 2019, "figures that none of us expected even in the most optimistic scenario", he qualifies.

"At the moment we do not have indicators for the outbound sector, but the impressions we are receiving from travel agencies are very positive and lead us to believe that the results will be in line with the inbound sector," he explains.

Like his counterparts, José Luis Méndez, president of the National Union of Travel Agencies (UNAV), makes a very positive assessment of the summer months and notes that in some areas "occupancy levels have been very similar to those of 2019".

It also highlights "the excellent figures in job creation", where the tourism sector has once again led the national economy, contributing four out of every 10 new jobs, which already represent 13% of the total number of affiliates in the national economy".

As an additional favourable fact, he points out that "30% of national travellers have used the services of travel agencies to book their holidays this summer".

Concern and caution for autumn

The fourth quarter of the year will be marked by "caution" for UNAV agencies due to "the unfavourable forecasts that are transmitted daily with inflation at an all-time high and a context full of uncertainties". 

Despite this, and taking into account recent times, José Luis Méndez is "hopeful and expectant" because the "desire to travel is still very strong, as recent studies have shown, such as the latest published by Amadeus or research by the European Travel Commission".

For Jordi Martí, the final stretch of the year is an unknown quantity. "Common sense would lead us to think that bookings will fall in line with the rise in prices, but the truth is that we have not yet noticed any warning signs that point to a slowdown in bookings," he explains.

However, he adds that markets such as the British market have already sent out messages that "they expect to maintain activity at a good pace despite the rise in prices".

For his part, Carlos Garrido affirms that with regard to September, the data available on bookings so far "augurs well", but from October onwards "there is more uncertainty".

"It is possible that the good pace of bookings will slow down, which worries us a lot," he concludes.