Fortunately, the multiple predictions made during the second half of the year that predicted a decline in tourist activity in Spain in 2022 have failed ," said José Luis Zoreda, executive vice president of Exceltur, at the beginning of the presentation of his report this Monday. quarterly tourist perspectives prior to Fitur . After more than 2 "dramatic" years for the sector, the data presented by the employers' association reveal the total recovery of tourist activity in Spain in 2022: the tourism GDP reached 159,000 million euros in sales; 1.4% higher than the activity of 2019 , tourism explaining 61% of economic growth, according to their estimates. The sector also reaches a weight of 12.2% of the Spanish economy in 2022 , although still below the 12.6% achieved in 2019. However, this growth in sales is not correlated with business results, which do not follow the same trend , due to the 28.9% growth in energy costs.
In supplies and 8.9% in costs. labor. This significant increase in costs has not been able to offset the average price increase (6.6%, according to the INE). Maintaining post-pandemic recovery despite energy costs and inflation: these will be the travel challenges in 2023 Zoreda has indicated that it is "very difficult" to distinguish how much of this improvement in income is due to a real increase in prices, inflation or changes in the consumption habits of tourists looking for more premium products . The good figures have also been reflected in employment. Tourism companies have recovered pre-pandemic levels in 2022 (they closed December +1.4% above 2019), while they have reduced the levels of temporary contracts to historic lows (the temporary rate drops to 8. 8% due to the widespread adoption of the discontinuous fixed contract). Compared to 2019, 28,000 new jobs have been created, adding up to 1.9 million jobs in the sector.
At the end of 2022, there were barely 4,000 people left in ERTE, as indicated. By 2023, it is expected to exceed all these figures, although in a very asymmetric way. Exceltur's forecasts estimate a growth in activity of 7.1% compared to 2019 sales until reaching a turnover of 168,453 million euros at the end of 2023, "if nothing goes wrong." " We trust that 2023 will consolidate the tourism recovery in a year that will once again go from less to more, given the context of greater weakness in the global economy and geopolitical uncertainty that analysts generally anticipate again at the beginning of this year," he said. pointed. The employers' association is cautious and has clarified that business results are not going to grow in the same proportion: "We are coming from 2 years in which more than 170,000 million euros were not received, which forced many companies into debts.