In a recent appearance, José María Bellido, the mayor of Córdoba, provided a positive assessment of the past Easter Week, emphasizing its “very good development.” The mayor conceded that, fortunately, the initial forecasts predicting a 20% decrease in hotel and apartment bookings, attributed to issues with the railway network, did not materialize.
Bellido highlighted that the celebration proceeded with “normality and security,” commending the operational team for ensuring peaceful festivities and smooth mobility within the city, further aided by favorable weather. The mayor confessed that he had anticipated worse results than in previous years, but the final data presented a completely different picture.
“"The forecasts suggested it would be worse than in recent years, and in the end, it has been one of the best."
The tourism sector, in particular, demonstrated exceptional performance, achieving “technical full occupancy” with over 90% in hotels and tourist apartments. Bellido expressed his satisfaction with the unexpected turn of events.
“"I love that the forecasts were absolutely wrong and that the data turned around."
Beyond Easter Week, the mayor also positively evaluated March's employment figures, which arrive after several challenging months. He noted that January and February were “a small disaster at a tourist level,” although these are typically the slowest months of the year, and that current data serves as a “boost” for the city. He concluded with an optimistic message, hoping the trend continues and joking about his initial error: “I hope I make more mistakes this way.”
Meanwhile, Antonio Hurtado, spokesperson for the PSOE in the Córdoba City Council, criticized the mayor's forecasts, calling them a “hoax.” Hurtado lamented that Bellido predicted a 20% drop in visitors without “any rigor,” attributing it to the lack of AVE connection between Córdoba and Málaga. The socialist spokesperson suggested that these statements were “markedly electoralist” and aimed to blame the Pedro Sánchez Government for a potential negative outcome that ultimately did not occur. Hurtado asserted that the reality of the data has shown “just the opposite” of what the mayor claimed, demonstrating that Córdoba recorded its best visitor numbers during this recent holiday.
