Data shows Madrid’s tourism recovered in July, with triple the number of tourist visits in 2021 than in the same month last year.
The number of tourists staying in the capital’s hotel establishments last July was 402,388. Of those 236,816 were domestic tourists and 165,572 to foreigners. Overall, this is triple the figures registered in the same month of 2020, according to the data published by the INE.
Compared with July 2019, prior to the pandemic, the data continues to show a decrease in travellers – a drop of 54%. However, it is an improvement compared to May and June, they showed decreases of 69% and 63%, respectively.
At the national level, overnight stays in hotel establishments rose 7.6% from January to July compared to the same period in 2020.
The interannual increase in overnight stays by travellers from Spain stood at 140.6%. On the other hand, that of tourists coming from abroad was notably higher, at 209.4%.
Overnight stays in Madrid
As for overnight stays in the city, in July they were 852,119 (432,010 domestic and 420,109 foreigners), which represents an interannual variation of 170.2%. This interannual growth is also higher than that registered by the Madrid Community (140.7%) and in Spain as a whole (125%).
Furthermore, in the last 12 months, it is estimated travellers stayed 4,834,810 nights in Madrid city, 62.9% less than a year earlier. Spain as a whole registered a decrease of 53.4%.
September will “be a good month”
For the Madrid councillor for Tourism, Almudena Maíllo, the data on overnight stays and travellers in July invites optimism and indicates the city is recovering better than expected, Que! Madrid reports.
“During these months we have not stopped working to accelerate this recovery, supporting the sector. We are present at virtual and hybrid fairs, closing agreements with destinations, carrying out a wide variety of marketing actions with airlines and tourism companies, attracting business and promoting a transformation in the way we attract and welcome tourists ”, she pointed out.
The perception is September is going to be “a good month” for tourism. By this, the expectation is the number of visitors will reach pre-pandemic figures and the average stay or spending improve.
Slight increase in the average stay
During July, the average stay was 2.12 nights per traveller, which is 0.30 nights less than a year earlier. The average stay for national travellers was 1.82 nights, and that of visitors from outside Spain 2.54 nights.
Available hotel beds increased 119.3% compared to a year ago. However, they are still 18.7% below July 2019. Establishments opened in July have risen by 165, compared to the same month last year, to 611.
Occupancy by rooms rose by 8.8 points compared to a year ago, standing at 46.6%.
Employment in hotels
Employment in hotel establishments grew 179.3% year-on-year, to 6,557 workers. An average annual calculation, however, shows employment decreased by 45.5%.
