Although not all the hotels in Benidorm could hang up the “no vacancies” card the occupation levels were “similar” to last year, according to the president of Hosbec, Antoni Mayor. Hosbec is the hotel association of Benidorm and the Costa Blanca and the results for the May bank holiday have raised the spirits of those working in the sector in Spain. Once more Benidorm topped the rankings with hotels in the resort reporting 95% ocupancy rates. The hotel establishments in the rest of the Costa Blanca reported 80% occupancy levels. Mr Mayor indicated that these latest figures were similar to Easter which was saved, thanks in the main, to a rush of last-minute bookings in hotels in Spain.

It appears the expectation of good weather encouraged tourists to head for the coastal areas in the community of Valencia and on the Saturday of the bank holiday many bathers were present on the beaches seeking their first dip of the year in the sea.

Eduardo Ferreres, president of the Tourism Federation of Castellon, stated in Las Provincias that business people active in the tourism sector in the Castellon area were “very happy” with the situation and, although tourists in Spain were making their reservations later and later, many hotels along the coast, above all in Peñíscola, already were “90% full”, he said.