Hotel Prices in Spain Soar Ahead of Total Solar Eclipse
JAKARTA - Hotel prices have skyrocketed and accommodations in various regions of Spain have sold out ahead of the total solar eclipse on Wednesday (12/8), as hundreds of thousands of additional tourists prepare to come to the total eclipse line.
The eclipse will cross northern Spain towards the Balearic Islands, so that a number of destinations in the northern and inland regions of the country, which are usually less crowded, face an extraordinary tourist influx.
In Soria, Spain's least populous province and one of the worst places to watch the eclipse, the average price of a hotel room for Wednesday night jumped to around 900 euros ($1,000), compared with less than 150 euros ($170) a week earlier, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Carlos, owner of Dauria Suites in Soria, told Spanish television station RTVE, his hotel charged between 250 and 260 euros (around Rp5.2 million-Rp5.3 million) for rooms on the night of the eclipse.
The rate is about double the usual rate, but still far lower than at a number of other hotels.
"This situation should be used, but not to the point of being excessive," Carlos said, quoted by ANTARA from Anadolu, Tuesday, August 11.
He warned visitors who paid very high prices might go home feeling the innkeepers had taken advantage of them. The rise in accommodation prices also extends far beyond the Soria region.
With rooms largely sold out, average hotel prices in Zaragoza, Leon, and Burgos have increased by more than 500 percent compared to the previous week, according to El Pais' report. Prices in Palencia, Valladolid, Teruel, and Oviedo jumped more than 240 percent.
Of the 23 provincial capitals analyzed along the path of the total eclipse, 21 of them experienced price increases.
Valencia is one of the few cities where prices have remained unchanged.
Residents in Spain's big cities, such as Barcelona and Madrid, will still see about 99 percent of the Sun covered.
However, the difference between a near-total eclipse and a total eclipse is dramatic, as only in the path of totality does the Sun disappear completely, causing sudden darkness and a noticeable drop in temperature.
The Spanish government estimates that the eclipse will bring an additional 446,700 tourists to the areas that are in the path of totality on August 10-16, including 164,000 international tourists and 282,000 domestic tourists.
Overall, the tourist visit is expected to generate an additional tourism spending of 342.19 million euros, with foreign tourists contributing more than 70 percent of the total.
The astronomical phenomenon itself will last a short time, with the totality phase lasting less than two minutes in the best locations to watch it. However, especially for rural areas of Spain, the economic impact can last much longer.