Turkey’s Hotel Association Declares Spain Biggest Winner as Germans Head to the Costas

Turkey’s Hotel Association Declares Spain Biggest Winner as Germans Head to the Costas

With uncertainty around the world, tourists

continue to head to safe havens  of the Costa Del Sol 

The terrorism and political strife affecting Turkey is causing Germany holidaymakers to avoid the country according to TÜROB; the Hotel Association of Turkey. The benefactor of all of this has been Spain.

TÜROB say that bookings for holidays in Turkey from German tourists has dropped by 58% across the past 12 months, with holiday makers heading for Spain to enjoy the relative safety and sun.

Even though Turkish holiday resorts haven’t been hit by the same terrorist attacks as Tunisia in 2015, there is still plenty of concern about general security, with several attacks across the past 12 months in Istanbul, a failed coup during last summer, and an government on the verge of becoming a dictatorship.

Holidaymakers from Britain and Ireland have already been put off, which boosted the Spanish tourism sector to record numbers as people began to avoid Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt, and Greece to a lesser degree.

The Turkish hotelier has begun to notice that the bookings from Germany are also on the downswing. 2014 saw a peak of 3.9 million holidaymakers from Germany. The figure dropped to less than 2.5 million last year, and it’s expected numbers will fall again in 2017.

TÜROB prisdent Timur Bayindr commented that German bookings in Spain are quite high, there has been a sharp decline in the Turkish and Egyptian market. If there is a winner to be seen in this game then it is undoubtedly Spain.

Bayindir added Turkey expects that arrivals from the other EU nations – such as Spain, France, Belgium, and Austria – will continue to fall. However, he does expect a potential increase in tourism from Russia, Iran, and the Middle East.

The Germans have had a long-standing love of Spain, especially Majora. German tourists also tend to be the biggest spenders and stay longer than tourists from other European nations, making them great for the Spanish tourism business.

Costa del Sol Smashes Record for Hotel Overnight Stays

Costa del Sol Smashes Record for Hotel Overnight Stays

The Costa del Sol continues to smash all records

The Costa del Sol has a great range of hotels visitors can stay in, but this is often overlooked when ranking the charms of the region. It was the Costa del Sol where the concept of having a home in the sun was born after all. The region became so internationally renowned thanks to all the great properties on offer.

Even so, holidaymakers have always enjoyed the many delights of the Costa del Sol from a comfortable hotel room. Given the surge in popularity for Spain as a whole recently, it’s only right to expect an increase in demand for hotel rooms.

The Costa del Sol Tourism Board recently released data showing that the region has never seen more demand for overnight stays. 2016 was the first time ever that over five million people booked an overnight stay in a hotel in the region.

This number was an increase of 5% over 2015, and was fuelled by an increase in British, French, German, and Scandinavian tourists flocking to the Costa del Sol for a night or two. Or seven.

The president of the Tourism Board – Elias Bendodo – says there were 1,013,161 Brits staying at the Costa del Sol in 2016. This was an increase of 11.1% over 2015, and is another reminder that Brits love Spain as much as they ever did; even with all the worries about the weak pound and the Brexit.

The Byblos hotel to re-open

The Byblos hotel to re-open

fantastic news for the area with the Byblos re-opening

The Byblos hotel was recently sold for 60 million Euros and it set to open its doors within the next few months. During the early 90s there were the now infamous paparazzi shots of a “topless” Princess Diana that made their way around the world. The story was became a major one and it dropped not long after Princess Di announced that she would be withdrawing from the public eye following her divorce from Prince Charles.

What isn’t so well known about this story is that the Princess was in the middle of one of her regular visits to the Costa del Sol, and that the pictures were taken at a hotel near Mijas.

That hotel was the Byblos was a favourite for A-listers taking a trip to the Costa del Sol. Over two decades it welcomed British royalty, Saudi royalty, and the Rolling Stones; a true example of rock and roll royalty.

The hotel was opened in 1986 and was later closed in 2010 when then owner British tycoon Alan Sugar attempted to find a buyer but failed. The long wait has finally ended following the investment of 60 million Euros from Ayco Inmobiliaria of Madrid, who purchased the 135-room hotel back in September.

The developer later promised to open up the hotel as soon as they possibly can; adding that these blue and white doors will be opened at the start of 2017. As well as opening up to guests the hotel should open up as many as 300 jobs; a great boon for the local economy.

The hotel has been as a symbol for the riches of the Costa del Sol; it’s beautiful, exclusive, glamorous and utterly charming. If anything the troubles and the eventual happy ending of the hotel are a perfect reflection of how the area has dealt with the wider recession of Spain.

These days the Costa del Sol is gaining back the mojo it once held to attract the elites; the playboys; the rock stars; the pop stars; and all the rich and famous following the downturn of the recession.

Mayor of Mijas Juan Carlos Maldonado says that the Byblos re-opening is a significant event for a few reasons. One of these is that it showcases how the Costa del Sol is used all year round by people looking to get away from it all because the hotel offers golf, health, and gastronomic tourism all year round no matter the weather.