Thursday 21 December 2017

British Visitors Numbers for Spain up 7.8% So Far in 2017

British Visitors Numbers for Spain up 7.8%  in 2017
Costa Del Sol continues to offer great value and
a wonderful holiday destination
Spain has an enduring appeal that continues because it offers all the simple things but it does it so much better than anywhere else in the world.

The beaches are kept clean, accessible and varied, as well as being served by plenty of restaurants, bars, hotels, and playgrounds; the Spanish climate is pleasant for most of the year; accommodations range from affordable to five-star expensive resorts; the flights to the country are cheap and fly regularly; the cities are historic and modern at once, not to mention beautiful; and the people are incredibly welcoming and friendly.

It’s hardly a surprise that Spain regularly ranks among the top three most-visited destinations each year. It seems that Spain may become THE most popular destination of 2017 however, at least according official tourism data from the Spanish National Statistics Institute (INE).

Spain welcomed 57 million tourists up to – and including – August of this year; marking an annual increase of 9.9% compared to last year. Around 10.4 million people – which is about a quarter of the population of Spain – visited the country during August. The figure was a 4% increase compared to August 2016, suggesting that the popularity of Spain continues to grow.

The story is the same for British visitors in particular. There have been some fears since the Brexit that British visitors would prefer to stay in the UK instead of travelling overseas where they wouldn’t get as much for their money. It seems that the 13.2 million Brits heading to Spain up to August would prove those fears wrong.

The amount of Brits visiting Spain has increased 7.8% in 2017 compared to 2016, and there have been noticeable increases in tourists coming in from other countries. Some 8.2 million Germans visited Spain, up 7.2% from last year, with 8.4 million French tourists flocking the country; an increase of 1.8%.

The region of Andalucía, which is where Costa del Sol islocated, saw the highest increase in foreign tourists, increasing 5% year last year. Andalucía saw 1.4 million overseas visitors in August alone.