Spanish hotels expect demand to pick up this northern spring, driven by an increase in international visitors and an appetite for travel during the Easter vacations, the country's hotel and tourist accommodation association CEHAT said Tuesday.

Although consumers continue to prioritize travel in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic--European airlines are recording strong bookings for the boreal summer--the outlook for the tourism sector has been clouded by high jet fuel prices, global hot spots, aircraft manufacturers' problems and wage disputes.

However, in a joint report with consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), CEHAT says it expects growth in the sector this spring to be 14% higher than last year and 25% above pre-pandemic levels.

Jose Manuel Fernandez of PwC said the expected increase in hotel spending was due to a more stable economic environment and strong growth in international tourism, mainly from nearby countries.

"France and Italy stand out in their intention to visit Spain and (there is) a good recovery of air connectivity with England and Germany that is already above the existing pre-pandemic one," Fernandez added.

However, CEHAT also warned of weaker growth forecasts for Spain in 2024 and inflation, which has weighed down the sector's costs.

Spanish airports owned by operator Aena closed February with an all-time record number of passengers, with 19.2 million, maintaining the upward trend recorded in January and in 2023.

(Report by Matteo Allievi; edited in Spanish by Benjamín Mejías Valencia)