The Algarve’s hotel sector had a cracking Easter with occupancy rates for April up 6% on the year before.
The Easter rush helped the region's hoteliers achieve the the best figures since 2000, according to the regional hotel association.
The overall average occupancy rate per room was 65.4%, “six percentage points higher than in April 2016, with Easter having positively influenced the results," according to Association of Hotels and Tourist Enterprises of the Algarve (AHETA).
According to the association’s data, the income from these extra guests pushed total receipts up 17.3% for April, compared to the same period in 2016.
Where did people come from? The Portuguese were up 2.5%, the Germans up 1.6% and the Spanish up 1.2% with the Dutch dropping slightly, as did the British.
By geographical area, the highest increase in occupancy rate was in Lagos-Sagres up 17.4%, Portimão-Praia da Rocha up 12.6% and Carvoeiro-Armação de Pêra up 11.4%.
In Albufeira, the main tourist area for the Algarve, there was an increase of 1.9%.
Since the beginning of the year, the occupancy rate has registered a 6.0% increase with key summertime bookings already sold out in many of the region’s most popular hotels.
