The Councillor for Festivities, Inma Mora, highlighted the success of participation, with the Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday processions being the most crowded, each with 70,000 attendees. Holy Thursday night also saw a large turnout, with over 50,000 people accompanying the Cristo de Zalamea.
Good weather was a key factor throughout the celebration. Palm Sunday afternoon gathered 40,000 people, while Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday, and Holy Wednesday saw 35,000 participants in the various processions. The same figure was recorded on Good Friday during the general procession, which culminated with the traditional Trencà del Guió in Plaza de Baix.
From a tourism perspective, the area's Councillor, Irene Ruíz, emphasized that hotel occupancy in the city reached 93% during the first weekend, coinciding with Palm Sunday, two points higher than the same period in 2025. Between Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday, several establishments exceeded 95% occupancy, and the tourist complex Samay La Marina Resort recorded an average above 93%.
“"This is a testament to the growing importance of Holy Week as a tourist attraction in Elche, which consolidates itself each year as one of the main weeks of the year, as reflected in the data."
Tourist offices also experienced an increase in visitors, with over 600 inquiries on Palm Sunday alone. Tourists mainly came from the Valencian Community, Madrid, Catalonia, Castilla y León, Basque Country, and Andalusia. Internationally, inquiries from French, British, Belgian, Dutch, and German tourists stood out, with a notable increase in Polish visitors in the last two years. Additionally, tourist assistance services were reinforced on the beaches with offices in Arenales del Sol and La Marina.
Joaquín Martínez, president of the Major Board of Brotherhoods and Guilds, praised the collective effort of the city and noted the increase in young people and Nazarenes in the processions. For his part, the superintendent of the Local Police of Elche, Israel Marco, highlighted the responsibility of citizens and the hospitality sector, as no incidents were recorded. The security deployment on the coast will be maintained this week in Arenales del Sol, La Marina, and El Altet. Finally, the special cleaning and waste collection operation involved 190 operators and 80 vehicles, with individualized attention to each procession and reinforced staff in tourist areas and beaches.
