Tourism boosts Spain’s ailing economy

Recently released figures by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce show that during the summer months of July to September the number of tourists flocking to the Spain increased by over 8 percent compared to 2010, with September alone welcoming nearly six million tourists making that month one of the best on record.

According to Tourism-Review, the British have been returning in droves to Spain. “Spain used to be the standard destination for British tourists, its islands being one of the most popular destinations for British youth for a number of decades. After the recession and the tendency for young travelers to explore other countries, Spain is now beginning to recover and take advantage of the competition’s problems in North Africa and the fact that Spain is growing in popularity again.”

The recent spike in tourism has come as a welcome boost to the country’s ailing economy. Added Tourism-Review, “In difficult economic times, the extra Euros are very welcome. Destinations such as Tenerife and Lanzarote are particularly popular for holidaymakers from the UK and Germany.”

Spain welcomed 20.9 million tourists to its shores in June, July and August this year, with most of these tourists came from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and France.

Much of this success, according to Tourism-Review, could be put down to political turmoil in places such as Egypt and Tunisia, whereby the tourists are scared to go there and are returning to the traditional Spanish destinations. This good news on the tourism front is helping to keep the country afloat.

Also helping to make Spain more luring are cheap package holidays to the Balearic and Canary islands, which, according to Tourism-review, have enjoyed massive popularity especially for large groups of young males. “Successfully advertising campaigns aimed at such target groups are now bearing fruit. The troubles of competitors on the other side of the Mediterranean have merely acted as a catalyst in bringing tourists back to Spain.”

According to the report by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Culture, the Canary Islands alone saw a massive increase of over 20 percent in the number of visitors between January and September. Similarly the Balearic Islands, including Majorca and Ibiza, saw an increase of over ten percent.

“This year the travel industry was in flux and many traditional holiday destinations saw a surge in the number of tourists visiting their shores,” Ian Raine, of ULookUBook.com said. “Spain in particular had a fantastic year. The country has always been popular with people looking to get away in the summer months, and this year many people returned to the country. “

Raine added: “As winter approaches the country will see increases in the number of people looking to getaway to Tenerife and other winter sun hotspots. Spain has spent a lot of time investing in the tourism industry and their attention to this particular sector has paid off.”

For the full report by the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Culture, point your browser to http://www.mityc.es .