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Benidorm becomes the capital of music and the Benidorm Fest breaks the seasonality in the month of January.  

The first month of the year comes to a close with data that positions the Valencian Community and, in particular, Benidorm as the capital of music and a showcase for all of Europe and the world in the selection of its candidate for Eurovision with the celebration of the Benidorm Fest. 

The last week of January, and with the final held on Saturday 1st February, Benidorm has reached practically the same occupancy figures as last year , although the forecasts pointed to a few points below, so the results of the week raise the average occupancy to 79% in Benidorm hotels, reaching practically 90% on the night of the final. 

“It has been a week with a great projection in the city,” said Fede Fuster, president of HOSBEC, who has highlighted the great image and impact of the Benidorm Fest for this destination. The month of January has already been consolidated with unmissable events on the calendar such as the celebration of one of the races of the Cyclo Cross World Championship, which has led to an occupancy rate of over 85% during that weekend.

These types of events increase occupancy at weekends, and maintain at least 10 points above what would be a weekend in January in Benidorm , which makes a continuous effort to maintain tourist activity all year round. In addition, they also have a positive impact on the image of the destination, since the celebration of the Benidorm Fest has achieved audience peaks during the final of 24% on television with almost 2 million viewers.

The Benidorm Fest makes the city a benchmark in hosting this type of event, which provides a perfect environment for the entire destination to be involved in celebrations in different locations such as this year's Julio Iglesias auditorium, and the different spaces where concerts have been held and where the semi-final galas and the final on Saturday could be followed, which not even the rain wanted to miss. 

 

The 2025 edition of 'Benidorm Fest' winner was 'Esa Diva' by Melody won the Spanish song contest and will head to Eurovision in May.

 

DATA FOR THE MONTH OF JANUARY

Musical, cultural and sporting events have become powerful tools to diversify the tourist offer and break with the seasonality of destinations. These events not only extend the influx of visitors beyond the months of high demand, but also attract new profiles of tourists , interested in authentic and specialized experiences.

The occupancy records for the month of January in Benidorm are a clear reflection of this, since with more than 30,000 active hotel places, its occupancy rate is 68.4% , exceeding the data for 2024 by 2.4 percentage points. Events such as the Cyclo Cross World Championship act as a magnet for new nationalities, increasing their volume, which is reflected in the second half of the month, where Belgian (6.6%) and Dutch (5.8%) tourists increase in volume of representation compared to other months.

The Costa Blanca area is also starting 2025 strongly with a monthly occupancy rate of 64.1% , which also increases the figures from the previous year by 2.5 percentage points. International tourists are gaining ground on national tourists compared to 2024 with 54.8% of the total and with the United Kingdom in the lead with 14.7%, followed by Norwegians (6%) and Belgians (5.5%).

The province of Valencia faces this month of January associated with the low season with 62.4%, practically in line with the previous year (61.8%), highlighting the push of the last fifteen days of the month that give a change of pace to the data, raising the data of the first fortnight by more than 11 points with 68.1% occupancy. 

The capital of the Turia is two points away from maintaining the figures for 2024 with a 57.3% occupancy rate . The international market continues to dominate, with Italian guests standing out with 8.4% and North Americans with 6.5%. To a lesser extent but following the behaviour of the province as a whole, the second half of the month also gains strength over the first, adding 5.6 points and standing at 60.1%.

As for HOSBEC members located in the province of Castellón , the territory most affected by hotel closures in the low season, they closed the month of January with 55.2% occupancy, increasing by 2.3 points compared to 2024. Of the total number of tourists staying in hotels, 62.4% are Spanish, followed far behind by the French with 5.5%. 

Bookings for the first fifteen days of February, which include holidays such as Valentine's Day, which are in high demand for couples' getaways, are already at or close to the levels recorded for the last few days of January in all areas and destinations.