Hotel prices are soaring and accommodations are selling out across parts of Spain ahead of Wednesday's total solar eclipse, as hundreds of thousands of additional tourists prepare to descend on the path of totality.
The eclipse will sweep across northern Spain toward the Balearic Islands, putting some of the country's less-visited northern and inland destinations at the center of an extraordinary tourism rush.
In Soria, Spain's least-populated province and one of the prime locations for viewing the eclipse, the average price of a hotel room for Wednesday night has soared to around €900 ($1,050), compared with just under €150 a week earlier, according to an analysis by Spanish newspaper El Pais.
Carlos, the owner of Dauria Suites in Soria, told Spanish broadcaster RTVE that his hotel charged between €250 and €260 for rooms on eclipse night, around twice its usual rate but much less than some of his peers.
"You have to take advantage of the situation, of course, but not that much," he said, warning that visitors paying extremely high prices could leave feeling that businesses had taken advantage of them.
The price surge extends far beyond Soria.
With rooms largely sold out, average hotel prices in Zaragoza, Leon and Burgos have risen by more than 500% compared with a week earlier, according to El Pais. Prices in Palencia, Valladolid, Teruel and Oviedo have jumped by more than 240%.
Of the 23 provincial capitals analyzed along the total eclipse route, 21 have seen prices rise. Valencia was one of the few cities where prices remained unchanged.
People in cities such as Barcelona and Madrid will still see around 99% of the sun obscured. But the difference between a near-total and total eclipse is dramatic, as only within the path of totality does the sun disappear completely, bringing sudden darkness and a noticeable drop in temperature.
The Spanish government expects the eclipse to bring an additional 446,700 tourists to areas in the path of totality between Aug. 10 and 16, including 164,000 international visitors and 282,000 domestic travelers.
Together, they are expected to generate an additional €342.19 million in tourism spending, with foreign visitors accounting for more than 70% of the total.
The astronomical spectacle itself, however, will be brief, with totality lasting less than two minutes in the best viewing spots.
But for rural Spain especially, the economic impact could last considerably longer.
