ANDALUCIA in general, and the Costa del Sol in particular, have had their best January to April tourism-wise for the last seven years.
“We hadn’t seen figures this good since 2008,” said Elias Bendodo, president of Costa del Sol Tourism board, as figures for the first quarter of 2015 were announced.
Hotel occupancy, airport passengers and tourism-related employment all had good results in the four-month period, with hotels in Malaga Province receiving 1.2 million tourists, 2.6 per cent more than the same period in 2014.
On a regional level, 2.1 million tourists from abroad (6.8 per cent more) are reported to have been to Andalucia during the first quarter of this year, and in April 15.4 per cent of all foreign tourists visiting Spain chose the region.
An extra bonus is that tourists from abroad have also been spending more in Andalucia so far this year, with a 7.8 per cent increase reported by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism’s Tourist Spending Survey (EGATUR).
Almost €2.5 billion was spent by foreign tourists in the region, which was beaten only by the Canary Islands and Cataluña for spending.
The government said that British and French tourists were spending more, while Germans and Scandinavians were spending less this year.
