Fewer hotels in Malaga are planning to close for the winter

Positive tourism figures in the winter months in recent years have led some hotel owners to take the decision to stay open during the low season instead of closing as normal. This is seen as a clear step forward in the attempt to attract year-round tourism to the region.

The president of the Hotel Owners Association of the Costa del Sol (AEHCOS), Luis Callejón Suñé, announced this week that 46 hotels in the province will be closed from November, five of them to carry out modernisation works which in total will cost 27.1 million euros.

Statistics from the Costa del Sol Tourist Board show that last November 8.4 per cent more people stayed in hotels in Malaga province than during the same month in 2016, and there were 3.5 per cent more overnight stays. Average income per available room increased by seven per cent. The figures for January were close, but slightly lower.

Last winter 63 hotels in the province closed during the winter months, meaning that 25,500 beds were no longer available. This year it looks as if 22,000 beds will be taken off the market, principally between November and February.