The good results reported by Spanish hotel group on the first months of the year 2014 confirm the renewal of tourism demand in Spain, observed by authorities in the country.

The year 2014 is off to a good start for Melià Hotels International. The hotel group ends the first quarter with net revenues up by 99% and a 10% increase in its Revenue per available room. It was also able to increase its EBITA by 22%, outside added value.

These results may be attributed to good levels of activity at the group in the zone EMEA, where the RevPAR progressed by 11.6% on the period. Markets in Paris and Germany posted increases respectively by 9.7% and 6.1% in their Revenue per available room. Results at properties on the American continent are also following a growth curve, with an increase by 17.3 in their RevPAR. The Mexican and Dominican markets were particularly dynamic.

Melià also attributes these results to the increase in sales on the website Melia.com, where the number of reservations is 40% higher than that recorded on the same period in 2013.

In terms of development, the group opened five new properties during the first quarter 2014, and signed management contracts for the development of five other hotels. It thus comes closer to its goal to add 30 properties to its pipeline on the whole of the year.

"These results validate our strategy of previous years and our shift towards a more international business model focusing on third party hotel management," declared Gabriel Escarrer, vice-president and general manager of Melià Hotels International.

As far as concerns the rest of the year, Melià Hotels International expects to see significant growth in its second quarter results, particularly because holy week was shifted to April and demand on the Spanish market grew. The group also foresees slight growth for the summer season, driven by the Baleares, the Canaries and Spain's coastal areas.