A recent study by Research and Markets - the world’s largest market research provider - suggested that the worldwide market for holiday rentals will be worth some 156,000 million euros by 2019. The massive increase in demand for such accommodation is attributable to various factors, not least the websites which facilitate the so-called sharing of accommodation, one of which is HomeAway, an American concern which has its Spanish wing based in Madrid.
HomeAway has released information regarding its current level of demand for holiday rentals in the regions of Spain.
This shows that there was a 39% increase in domestic Spanish demand during 2015. Almost three-quarters of the total was accounted for by the five principal sun-and-beach holiday regions of Spain: Andalusia, the Canaries, Catalonia, Valencia and of course the Balearics. Of these, the Balearics was only fourth, with 11% of accommodation requests, above the Canaries with 6% but behind Catalonia and Valencia, both with 14%, and well behind the national leader, Andalusia, on 29%.
Of nationalities other than Spaniards using the HomeAway service, it was the German market which showed the greatest interest in Balearic accommodation (50% of all requests across the country), with the UK amounting to 28%. The Canaries proved to be the second most popular destination for both the British and the Germans, while Catalonia’s overseas demand came principally from France, Italy and the Netherlands, with the French also strong in Valencia.
Though the findings show that sun and beach remains unmistakably the prime motivation for seeking accommodation, inland regions of Spain and coastal ones less associated with sun and beach also experienced increased domestic demand. While Catalonia attracted the greatest level of interest from the domestic market, Aragon was the fastest growing: up 216%.
Navarre and Extremadura also performed strongly, with increases in demand of over 160%, while both Asturias and Cantabria saw demand grow by more than 100%.
Away from Spain, domestic travellers’ demand for Colombia grew by 140%, which was the highest percentage increase.
HomeAway, meanwhile, is planning on challenging fines amounting to 60,000 euros which have been issued by the city of Barcelona for apparently publicising illegal accommodation.