Tourism Grows and Prepares for the Major Easter Influx

With Easter just around the corner, the Costa Blanca's tourism sector is gaining momentum after leaving behind the coldest months of the year. It is now preparing for the first major influx of visitors of the new season. With Benidorm once again driving the tourism sector, the consolidated figures for March and the forecasts from the hotel association Hosbec for the second half of April (Easter) suggest that the province's main productive sector is on the rise and could, if sustained, surpass even the figures of the historic year 2024.

According to March data, Hosbec officials believe that the third month of the year performed "as expected." This means that despite the bad weather, which always poses a risk of discouraging activity in coastal destinations, "interesting values" were maintained in places like Benidorm and the southern Costa Blanca. These areas not only withstood the rains but also saw their occupancy levels grow by six and three points, respectively, compared to 2024, reaching 78% and 80% of their capacity.

This was not the case for the entire Costa Blanca, which experienced a slight decline in occupancy percentage (though not in the number of tourists) compared to the same period last year. However, it is important to note that in 2024, Easter was celebrated in March, so Hosbec's assessment remains very positive.

According to data provided by the hotel association, the Costa Blanca maintained stable hotel occupancy during March 2025, reaching 76.3% compared to 77.4% the previous year.

The visitor profile in the Costa Blanca showed a greater presence of international tourists during this period, with a significant increase in British and Belgian visitors, who accounted for 14% and 8% of travellers, respectively, during the second half of the month. This trend contrasts with the same period in 2024, when domestic tourism was more prominent at 54.1%.

Meanwhile, hotels in Alicante South closed March 2025 with an "outstanding" occupancy rate of 82.1%, well above the 76.8% achieved in 2024. This excellent performance is also reflected in the second half of the month, with 80.5% compared to 76.5% the previous year.

As always, Hosbec compiles this global statistic for the Costa Blanca excluding data from the region's major tourist capital: Benidorm. There, the year-on-year growth remains very positive (again, it's worth remembering that in 2024, Easter was celebrated in March), with the last month reaching 78% occupancy, four percentage points higher than twelve months earlier.

In Benidorm's case, this notable growth "is partly explained by the celebration of St. Patrick's Day, a very popular holiday among British visitors," who remain the city's main 'client.'

In Benidorm, Easter is expected to further boost tourist arrivals, consolidating the destination's positive trend. In fact, as of today (pending any last-minute changes), Benidorm already has 75.7% of its capacity reserved for the first half of April, once again four percentage points above the same period in 2024.

This upward trend is expected to continue, at least according to forecasts, across the Costa Blanca, where 71% of capacity has already been confirmed, a figure that rises to 76.4% in the case of Alicante South.