Benidorm experiences record hotel occupancy in November

Benidorm’s hotel occupancy rates this week in November are as high as they were in August.

BigDataHosbec says that the city has an average occupancy rate of 96.8% during its Patron Saint Festivals. This is the same as or even higher than the occupancy rate over the regular summer bank holiday weekend.

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There are about 43,000 beds available in the city’s hotels, and practically all of them are filled. This is the conclusion of the tourist season for most people.

But that’s not all the record says. The occupancy projection goes up even further to 97.2% on Thursday, November 13th, when the popular Fancy Dress Party is held.

This event, which started on its own in the 1990s among the British population, draws together more than 30,000 tourists and residents of the UK each year. They fill the streets in costume for one of the biggest celebrations held outside of their home country.

According to a press release from Hosbec, half of the guests staying these days are British. This shows how committed this market is to Benidorm’s annual events.

The hotel organisation also stresses that these kinds of cultural and celebratory activities are important for keeping tourists coming to the area all year round, which helps the destination stay open and sustainable.

The Benidorm Fancy Dress Party started in the 1990s, practically by accident, among the British people who lived in and visited the city.

The official Benidorm fancy dress Party website says that the party came about because of the fun environment around the Benidorm Half Marathon. Roger Williams, who owned The Sports Mans Retreat pub, which debuted in 1973, promoted the event years before.

Williams was heavily active in athletics. He started the Benidorm Marathon, and his store became a place for British athletes and runners to meet every November when they ran in the city’s half marathon.

As time went on, a lot of these sportsmen started running in costume. This started a custom that merged humour, athletics, and holiday spirit in the most British way possible.

After the games, the people who played convened at the Ambassador Hotel. There, singing and celebrating turned the gathering into a true party that spread across the bars of Rincón de Loix.

Over time, the event developed so much that it lost touch with its sporting roots and became something that thousands of tourists and locals looked forward to.

The Fancy Dress Party has evolved from having only 80 people show up in its first few years to more than 35,000 people showing up today. It is now one of the biggest British parties held outside of the UK.

Author: Derek Appleton