So this has been a funny old holiday rental season, twisting and turning to the climax that is August. The newspapers and authorities cant agree if there are more visitors or not or whether expenditure has increased.
Holiday home owners have started the year with the usual flood of enquiries, only to find it shortened and slowing sooner than normal. Many have found a large increase in late bookings and for shorter periods, reflecting what the surveyers found that people are shortening their annual holidays and booking later. Some others in the upper middle to luxe ranges are finding they are busier than ever, with people making repeat bookings within the year.
Here in the East Algarve especially, the season has started late and is quieter than normal. A big piece of our market on this side in the Portuguese and Spanish, being so close to the border. But many of the Portuguese are not taking holidays due to the financial crisis, but rather holding onto their money for the future tax and price rises due at any time. All the portuguese that I know who regularly come down for holidays, they are not coming, but are either staying at home or taking holidays closer to home and for shorter periods. It is busy, but not as busy as previous years.
Are you a holiday home owner or summer business? How has your season been?
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