Tourism in Spain is expected to increase by 1.5% between the warmest months of June and September this year.
Costa del Sol, long renowned as one of the most popular holiday destination in the world, will receive an estimated 7 million tourists this year. That's 104,000 more visitors than the same period in 2017, which saw record numbers of tourists.
In a recent statement, Elías Bendodo, president of the Tourism Board of the Costa del Sol, highlighted the expected recovery of the national market during the summer season, as well as an economic impact of 7,400 million euros.
The increase in tourism figures will also be accompanied by a notable increase in consumer spending, which is expected to increase by 4.1%, an additional economic impact of 7,400 million euros more than in the same period last year.
A total of 3,400 new jobs will have been created potentially between June and September in the region, which represents an improvement of 3.6% over last summer.
In response to the record number of tourists and to ensure a new boost, Bendodo and his team have increased investments by 50% in order to provide more than 60 promotional campaigns exclusively in the region, positioning the Costa del Sol even more Sun as one of the most active tourism destinations in the world.
The successful summer has made it clear that the Costa del Sol is still a preferred destination for international travelers, both in the traditional markets like Britain and Germany, with increases of 7% and 19%, respectively, and also among Nordic Countries, which show a rise of 21%, and from Holland with an increase of 32%.
Bendodo also highlighted the growth of employment in the sector which, with an increase of 8%, now employs 112,000 people in the province. He also argued that the strength of tourism should serve as an incentive to provoke a positive “drag” effect on other sectors such as construction and food.
Specifically, 13.9 million stays were registered over the summer period, some 0.6% down on the previous year. But with an increase in bookings of tourist apartments, not in holiday homes, the real figure is an increase of 2.3%. Summer figures are on an ascending line, as for the increase in prices, the rates are actually in line with those in the years 2008 and 2009, the summers that preceded the crisis.
Credits: domusvenari.com, orangestate.net