Ibiza hotels expect a “magnificent” season despite “total uncertainty” over the Middle East conflict

Hotel bookings in Ibiza are, for now, in line with the usual levels for the start of the season. This is how Manuel Sendino, manager of the Federación Empresarial Hotelera de Ibiza y Formentera, summarises the situation, noting that booking lists currently show “normal” figures. “Some months or fortnights are better sold than others, but overall everything is quite reassuring”, he explains.

A similar outlook is shared by Palladium Hotel Group, which states that “forecasts are magnificent”, and by Concept Hotel Group, which already has a strong level of reservations for what it expects to be a “good” summer.

This outlook comes despite a geopolitical context that the sector is watching with caution. The conflict in the Middle East creates “total uncertainty”, Sendino recalls. The concern lies in the potential economic effects: both FEHIF and Pimeef have warned that rising energy costs could be passed on to general prices in key tourist markets and influence travellers’ decisions when planning their holidays.

This has also been highlighted on several occasions by José Luis Benítez, director of institutional relations at Palladium and manager of the Ibiza Leisure Association, who points to the possibility that higher fuel prices could increase flight costs.

Despite this, the latest data from the Sistema de Inteligencia Turística indicate that Ibiza continues to consolidate its position as a preferred destination for international travellers, with flight searches to the island rising by 67% in March.

This is reinforced by the performance during this Easter period, which, despite falling earlier than last year, has left occupancy levels close to 80% in open establishments. Sendino notes that only around 12% of the island’s hotel capacity was operating: “Easter depends heavily on the weather. It has been good, but not excellent. When it comes this early, it’s even more difficult”, he adds.

“The good part starts in ten days”

Sendino points to 1 May as the “official start of the season”, noting that bookings are already progressing well for that date. Meanwhile, Benítez explains that although this Easter has been “a bit worse than last year” due to its earlier timing and the lack of full complementary services, results have not been poor for hotels.

Palladium Hotel Group, the second-largest hotel operator on the island by number of beds, had two hotels open. One of them, the Grand Palladium Select Palace Ibiza in Platja d’en Bossa, reached 80% occupancy, while the Palladium Hotel Cala Llonga recorded 75%. Both are all-inclusive hotels, with guests staying for an average of around four days.

Benítez notes that the predominant visitors were domestic tourists alongside British travellers and concludes that “the good part starts in about ten days”.

This is because nightclub openings begin on 24 April, and between that date and 1 May the rest of the hotels will reopen. Just this week, Benítez confirmed that, despite uncertainty linked to the Middle East conflict, openings are already “almost sold out” and a season “very similar” to last year is expected.

A “mixed” client profile

The same assessment is shared by Diego Calvo, founder of Concept Hotel Group. The company opened five of its eight hotels on 2 April and had already secured 70% of bookings more than a month in advance. “The rest have been made in the last 30 days”, he explains, adding that Easter has been “similar or slightly better” than last year.

This is reflected in occupancy, with four out of five operational hotels fully booked last Saturday. “We always try to open in April to get the team running and offer more working time, not just because of occupancy, although not everyone being open also benefits us”, he says.

The origin of guests has been highly diverse: “It’s been very mixed. There have been domestic tourists, but also Europeans — French, British, German and Italian visitors”.

The typical profile has been couples and groups of friends. Calvo notes that only one of their hotels, the Mongibello Ibiza, accepts children over the age of eleven, and none of their properties offer all-inclusive packages. Lengths of stay have also varied, from full-week holidays to shorter breaks.

“Opening earlier allows us to capture a larger share of the market”, Calvo adds, noting that the remaining three hotels in the group — Romeo’s, Grand Paradiso and Los Felices — will open between 15 and 20 April. “Now we need to fill the gaps in the coming weeks, but we will have a very good April”, he concludes.

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