2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength among couples, families and travelers with an Instagram account who share their experiences - A hot tub encrusted in a cave-house in the sierra Manchega, a bubble hotel with jacuzzi in a village of 500 inhabitants of Alicante or a wooden cabin with an infinity pool in the Murcia mountain range are some unique accommodation proposals that this summer are triumphing in Spain.

Everyone has had to change their travel plans from March 2020 to today. Many, in fact, still retain bonuses offered by travel agencies and airlines for that foreign trip that is yet to arrive.

Who less, who more has also increased their demands when it comes to travel thanks to a mixture of fear of possible last-minute changes in restrictions caused by a new upswing of the virus and an epiphany that tourist overcrowding could have gone out of fashion.

Putting all this accumulation of circumstances in the blender of the tourism sector, adding levels of reserves similar to those of 2019 and a sharp reduction in international tourism, the resulting cocktail has a more refined flavor that, above all, seems ideal to enjoy as a couple.

Diego Avilés, (Murcia, 1992) is a founding partner of Chequealo, a unique accommodation portal that promotes charming getaways throughout Spain. The young entrepreneur tells that the summer of 2020 was historic because people "came out in a rush".

2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength

Avilés created the company together with Jorge Párraga and Juan Antonio Ruiz in 2013. Since then, they had experienced a progressive growth year by year that placed them at the gates of expanding their operations to Portugal.

When the confinement arrived, in March 2020, Chequealo was forced to follow the example of many other companies and lower the blind, something they had not done "not a weekend" since they began their journey.

When the first confinement was over and the summer knocked on the doors of shops to reopen and receive their customers, Check it recorded its best numbers in its history in terms of reservations and billing.

"We do not sell family tourism, we sell couple plans, very specific locations, almost luxury. That tourism was the one that worked the most, the one that grew the most after the crisis, " he says.

The prices of their accommodations range from 75 euros per night of the studio they offer in a small village in the Sierra Baja de Cuenca (Carboneras de Guadazaón), to 320 euros of a dream house of the XUQ group in Cenizate (Albacete).

2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength

An offer, therefore, that adapts to different pockets, but that focuses on the same type of audience: the aesthetes.

Check it was originally a service similar to Groupon, offering discounts for different experiences. Born of the crisis, he came to cover a need for leisure at a time when the Spaniards moderated spending.

Once the Spanish economy started to rebound, the 3 partners decided that it was time to pivot towards a more exclusive offer, their current niche and, somehow, a decision that has saved them in this second crisis caused by COVID-19.

They began to focus on boutique hotels or" something more unknown " like Miluna, a bubble hotel in Toledo, which offers a Glamping experience where you can see the stars while you sleep for 350 euros / night.

With nearly 100 accommodations available, 4 employees and the goal of reaching a million euros in turnover in the coming years, Check it looks for "a profile of person who has an Instagram account, who likes to tell their experience in networks and who values personalized attention".

2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength

In the end, says Avilés, it is logical that a middle-aged couple without family obligations who has maintained their work during the pandemic seek an offer more adapted to their tastes, more special.

Your company has a clear business model and confidence in continuing to grow. Because young people "conceive tourism in a different way and value both the aesthetics of a site and the environment", but also because there are "many people who are reinventing themselves".

"The 3 members of hotel Miluna, for example, came from the tourism sector and worked in traditional hotels, but they reinvented themselves: they took a farm that was half abandoned and installed these capsules," Avilés says. "And, like them, there are quite a few."

An example that reflects this innovative commitment to offer a different tourist experience is that of Jorge Sánchez and Rafael Ceballos, founders of glamping La Dehesa Experiences.

Sánchez and Ceballos are in their thirties and met 15 years ago in Northern Ireland, where the 2 enjoyed a Leonardo grant from the European Union. Both come from the financial sector and since they forged their friendship they had in mind to start business together.

2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength

It wasn't until 3 years ago that they had a crush on where to locate their idea. A natural site of 27 hectares in the Sierra Morena Cordobesa: habitat of the Iberian lynx and declared a biosphere reserve by Unesco, it was the perfect place to place its concept of glamping.

Glamping is the sum of glamour with camping, a binomial that Jorge Sánchez defends as a fundamental pillar of Dehesa's philosophy. The Galician explains that its suites allow you to disconnect in an incomparable natural environment while enjoying gourmet experiences, all in a sustainable way.

"We have not cut a single tree to make this project, our constructions do not carry cement or concrete. We use wood, glass and canvas, " says Sánchez. It also states that solar panels installed at the entrance of the reserve— where customers have to leave the cars to prevent noise and pollution -, supply 80% of the total electricity consumption of the accommodations.

La Dehesa has 6 suites with private pool placed in the treetops at 15 meters high, from where you can enjoy unparalleled views thanks to a construction inspired by the old fishing ports.

To enjoy this experience in one of its junior suites costs 250 euros per night, a rate that includes breakfast and a wine tasting with a professional sommelier.

2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength

The partners discovered the area through an American family of Spanish origin with whom they had professional contact. The family had a farm in the reserve that Sánchez and Ceballos were captivated by.

3 years ago they decided to lease it and, since then, they have been personally involved in a whole planning and construction process in which, he says, they have wanted to involve the area.

"All the suppliers are local, all the gastronomic product that complements our offer is from the area, "says Sánchez, while minimizing importance:"What we have are many ideas and above all, a lot of desire."

The businessman also jokes that they have achieved everything both through work and debt with the bank, but their beginnings are promising. La Dehesa opened its doors to the public in May after 3 years of slow cooking and bureaucratic fights, but it has had all the rooms occupied since then.

"We have mostly 2 types of clientele, families who come to disconnect and couples. This is a very special place, very romantic, last week we had our first proposal, " he says.

COVID-19 has undoubtedly changed the way we travel, but it has not calmed the desire to live different leisure experiences that make a difference. It seems that the public is now finding these experiences much closer to home.

# 2021 local tourism unique accommodations gain strength #