The Holy Week in the capital of Granada generates an economic impact of 141 million euros and 1,416 jobs annually. This is revealed by a study conducted by the SME Chair of the University of Granada and the Chamber, which was presented on Wednesday in an event attended by the mayor of this Andalusian city, Marifrán Carazo.
Also present at the event was the member of the executive committee of the Chamber of Granada, Concha de Luna, along with the co-director of the SME Chair Myriam Martínez and the president of the Federation of Brotherhoods and Confraternities, Armando Ortiz, in the days leading up to a Holy Week that is marked this year in the capital of Granada by changes in the processions’ routes due to the early start of the official race, which will begin at the height of the Basilica of the Virgin of Anguish.
The economic analysis of this grand week confirms its consolidation as a «great cultural and artistic attraction of the city», as stated by 43.7 percent of the 117,625 people (including tourists and day-trippers) who visited the city of Granada in this holiday period in 2024.
Marifrán Carazo, in the presentation of the report, emphasized the «support given by visitors and tourists to our Holy Week as a unique and singular artistic expression that captivates with its beauty, drama, and excellence, placing Granada among one of the chosen destinations by thousands of people to enjoy this holiday period.»
The mayor added, «These data encourage us to continue working hand in hand with the Federation of Brotherhoods and Confraternities to have the best Holy Week in Spain.» She indicated that the report confirms these days as a «social cohesion agent» of the city in that it «brings together social and neighborhood groups to improve the lives of the most disadvantaged sectors of the city,» and a «genuine engine and dynamizer of the economy.»
Therefore, she called for understanding and collaboration from the citizens in the face of possible inconveniences that may arise in the normal course of daily life due to the transfers, processions, and development of the various activities and events scheduled during the Passion Week.
On her part, Concha de Luna highlighted that, «while it is evident that Holy Week does not derive its value from its economic impact,» it is interesting to measure it in order to understand how much it contributes to the life of the city and its businesses. In this sense, she emphasized the impact figure of 141 million euros generated during Holy Week, which represents activity for Granada’s businesses.
Additionally, De Luna pointed out that «there are very few companies in Granada that maintain 1,416 workers throughout the year, so Holy Week, as an economic activity, is indeed one of the largest companies in the capital.» «It is also a company that engages in a diverse range of activities, cultural, hospitality, manufacturing, maintenance of trades, which is very interesting,» she emphasized.
The study conducted by José Antonio Salinas and Myriam Martínez analyzed the expenses generated by the brotherhoods and confraternities, based on their 2023 budgets, and the expenses incurred by tourists, day visitors, and residents of Granada during the Holy Week of 2024, based on surveys conducted by the research team. It’s worth noting that Holy Week was characterized by pronounced rainfall, so the team considers that the economic impact could be «substantially greater.»
The report indicates that the expenses generated during Holy Week amounted to 76.4 million euros. Of these, the brotherhoods of Granada spent 2.3 million euros not only in the eight days of Holy Week but also in annual expenses related to the restoration and maintenance of cultural and religious heritage.
Regarding tourists, it is estimated that the capital received 117,626 visitors (including tourists and day-trippers) who stayed in the city for 3.4 days and had an average expenditure of 102.93 euros. The total expenditure they generated was 39.4 million. Finally, the study also considers the expenditure incurred by residents who stayed in Granada between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, amounting to 34.8 million euros.
Based on this data and using the Input-Output Tables of the Institute of Statistics and Cartography of Andalusia, the SME Chair concludes that it was necessary to produce goods and services, both direct, indirect, and influenced, worth 141 million euros in Granada.
According to the study, this implies that a GDP of 75.8 million euros was generated, with an added value of 68.3 million. The study also points out that in order to achieve this economic impact, Granada capital needs to maintain the equivalent of 1,416 full-time jobs throughout the year.
The co-director provided some significant assessments of this data, stating that the team estimates that the economic impact directly linked to the celebration of Holy Week would be 40 percent of the total, which is almost 60 million euros.
Furthermore, Martínez highlighted that according to the data collected in the study, the impact «directly determined by Holy Week» is mainly linked to the arrival of tourists in the city. The contribution of tourists to the expenditure volume exceeds 54 percent, while that of residents does not reach 39 percent, with the seven percent being generated directly by the brotherhoods.
FUENTE