Good news for the Costa del Sol tourist industry.
Tourist chiefs on the Costa del Sol must be becoming accustomed to good news, following announcements of successive record visitor numbers over recent years.
Last year saw a rise of over six per cent in visitors from the previous year, as 12.5 million tourists chose the region as their holiday destination. This is not only good news for individual establishments such as hotels and restaurants, but it saw the tourism sector add a staggering €13.8 billion to the local economy, and employed 111,172 people in the process.
With tourists coming from an ever-wider range of countries these days, it still shouldn’t be a surprise to note that Brits continue to make up the largest contingent of holidaymakers. Attracted by the variety of activities and range of accommodation on offer, there is something for all sectors of the market in Southern Spain.
With almost year-round sun, the climate is a big pull to Northern Europeans, and indeed, the region has seen a growth in Dutch, Belgian and Scandinavian visitors. Surprisingly, given their own Côte d’Azur, French visitor numbers have been growing too.
The security of the area is desirable and there is no doubt that insecurity in countries such as Turkey and Egypt has benefited the Costa del Sol.
Ryanair and Jet2 have unsurprisingly capitalised on the potential for growth. Ryanair added fifty new destinations over the 2017-2018 winter period, and the Irish airline will introduce twenty nine additional routes in the summer of 2018 as well as increased flight frequency on twenty five existing routes.
Jet2 celebrated its fifteenth year flying holidaymakers to Málaga airport with CEO, Steve Heapy, expressing praise for the Costa del Sol as a destination that “has a magic, which our clients adore”. After seeing a forty three per cent increase in travellers this year, the British holiday and airline company will expand its offer to seventy flights a week.
Citing not just the obvious attractions of the beaches and great hotels of the region, he also mentioned the cultural attractions, including the city of Málaga, that look set to continue beguiling visitors to this region.
