The Association of Hoteliers Association of the Costa del Sol (Aehcos) officially takes stock of 2023, and celebrates the 8.58% increase in hotel occupancy compared to 2022, which in the province reached 76.82%. "The data for 2023 are those that were predicted for 2020, before the pandemic, the reality is that it is a very good year, although we are 3 years behind schedule because of everything that has happened in the world in these three years", said Juan Miguel Marcos, vice president of Aehcos in Mijas. "It has been a very similar year to 2019, although with regard to 2022 the increase has been more than 8%, compared to 2019 (pre-pandemic) it is 1.59%, we must be cautious", added Marcos. 

December, for example, has left an occupancy rate of 56.82%, improving by 4% on the figures obtained in December 2022. By areas, Frigiliana-Torrox has been the favourite for tourists with a hotel occupancy rate of 70%. It is followed by Ronda, with 49.78% and Mijas with 40.71%. It is expected to be 54.83% in January. Aehcos stresses that families are increasingly prioritising holidays, "if they have to give up other whims they do so, but holidays are still a very necessary time for mental disconnection and I believe that both national and international tourists can do without other things, but not that holiday period so desired throughout the year", said the head of Aehcos in our town. According to the association, the balance sheet also shows that seasonality is being broken more and more. "Increasingly, the percentages of the rates of the months close to the summer, we are talking about April, May or October, even November, are showing better percentages. Fewer and fewer establishments are closing in these seasons and the periods are shorter", Marcos explained. 

Although the forecasts for 2024 are good, according to Aehcos, in fact for the month of January an occupancy rate of 54.83% is estimated, the association is concerned. "We know that there has been a serious energy problem, we now have the situation of drought, war conflicts always related to energy, we do not know how they are going to develop, today we have woken up to news about the Red Sea, that is, there is a lot of uncertainty. We trust that 2024 will not give us a scare, we hope not", said the vice-president of Aehcos.  

The association's executive committee adds that there are certain decisions that worry the hotel sector, such as "the change in VAT on electricity and gas, which will bring back the reduced VAT rate of 10%, or the considerable increase, in some cases more than 30%, that the price of water will have in 2024 in some municipalities". In this regard, from Aehcos they insist on the need for "public administrations to give their support to entrepreneurs and between all seek solutions agreed for the benefit of the common economy seeking even more investment in the province of Malaga in the face of the general state budget for the year 2024".

Drought 

The lack of water resources in the province is also of particular concern to the Hotel Business Association of the Costa del Sol, Marcos stressed that "in the hotels we recommend that guests only wash the towels that are really needed, the hospitality sector has been very aware of the drought issue for a long time and we also believe that we must work hand in hand with the authorities and administrations to avoid water supply problems". This is not the only measure, "from Aehcos we are sending messages, for example, the latest is that those establishments that empty their swimming pools in the low season or due to the closure of the establishment should either not do so, or if they decide to do so, they should make this water available to the authorities for street washing or any other type of use of this water. We are also encouraging the use of the deposit, the accumulation of water in other periods when there is more flow in case there are worse periods later", concluded the vice-president of Aehcos in Mijas.

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