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| Levante beach - they all stay somewhere in Benidorm |
According to a report compiled by the
CEHAT - Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation, hotels are losing in the region of 10 million tourists per year because of "
home exchange" sites. This has always been an issue but in recent years has escalated, mainly due to the internet and people looking for cheaper accommodation.
Needs regulation
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| Antonio Mayor - President of HOSBEC |
Antonio Mayor, President of
HOSBEC, the Hoteliers Association acknowledged that this is one of the main problems facing the hotel industry. He said that this sector needs to be regulated as many allegedly operate without declaring/paying taxes on income. There is also nobody inspecting the standards, as is obligatory in the hotel industry - therefore they are able to offer "competitive" prices. There are certainly a lot of hotels in
Benidorm - ranging from
budget all the way up to
5 star luxury, with prices to suit all pockets.
All Inclusive - damaging local businesses
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| One of the many AI hotels in Benidorm |
The surge of
All Inclusive hotels has certainly affected many businesses here, in particular bars, cafes and restaurants - yet that´s ok according to the hotel industry as "that´s what the customers want"...
However, as soon as something upsets their trade it is a problem - pot kettle springs to mind!
Many families opt for
All Inclusive and I can to a degree understand why - especially with children always wanting drinks and ice cream.
Plenty of choice
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| Calle Londres - full of British bars and cafes |
However, do they have a place in a built up resort like
Benidorm? Fine on a remote island perhaps, where there really is nothing else about - but in Benidorm, which probably has more
bars and
cafes per square meter than any other place on earth - and very reasonable price wise, I´m not so sure. It really is a divisive issue here.
Internet bargains
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| Unbelievable value - 392€ for 1 week in 2 bed apartment |
Curious to find out about these "home exchange" websites, I logged into one - www.airbnb.com to see what there was on offer and the prices. I must say I was shocked at how cheap you can find reasonable looking apartments. To do a comparison I enquired for a 1 week stay the first week of July for a family of 4. The Hotel Pueblo came up 1062 GBP - which did include breakfast (=1279 euros at todays exchange rate) whereas a central 2 bedroom apartment located 5 minutes from Levante beach worked out at only 392 euros! Considering that in the hotel all 4 would be stuck in one room, the apartment looks like fantastic value to me.... no wonder the hotel industry is getting worried!
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