Record spending for holidaymakers in Spain seen last year
Record spending for holidaymakers in Spain seen last year
HOLIDAYMAKERS are spending more money when they come to Spain than ever before, with last year seeing visitors part with a record 55.6 billion euros, according to research by the ministry of tourism.
These figures beat the previous record – set in 2011 – by 5.7 per cent.
The ministry began keeping a register of holidaymaker spending back in 2004, but they say last year was only the third-highest in actual tourist numbers – travellers to Spain have fallen in recent times.
But although there are fewer of them and their holidays are getting shorter – falling to an average of nine nights per person - they are shelling out more cash, the survey reveals – an average of 966 euros per holiday, or 108 euros a day, an increase of 2.8 and six per cent respectively.
Hotel accommodation remains the most popular, but other types – such as rented apartments – rose in take-up numbers more in 2012 than hotels did.
Brits spent the most money last year, at 11.1 billion – a total of 7.4 per cent more than in 2011.
They were followed by Germans, whose spending rose by five per cent to over nine billion, and the French at 5.19 billion.
Tourists from France actually forked out 1.1 per cent less money than in 2011, but still made it into the top three and account for 10 per cent of cash circulated by holidaymakers.
Those from the Baltic States were not far behind, spending just under 5.1 billion, but in their case, the amount of money they parted with last year was an impressive 9.7 per cent increase on that of the year before.
Spending by Italian tourists fell considerably – by 7.1 per cent – but they still account for over five per cent of the total, dishing out 2.73 billion.
Brits, Scandinavians (Norwegians, Swedes, Danes and Finns), Germans and Russians were the most prolific national groups who visited Spain in 2012, although tourists from Russia did not stand out for being flash with their cash – a situation which is expected to change in the medium-term with plans to offer automatic residence rights to any Russian citizens who buy property priced at 160,000 euros or more, following an unprecedented interest from this country in purchasing luxury holiday homes along the coast.
More Scandinavians, French and Germans travelled to Spain last year, although fewer Brits and Italians did so.
Catalunya was the region with the most money spent in it, followed by the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Andalucía and Madrid – all of which saw spending go up except the latter.
The Comunidad Valenciana was in sixth place out of Spain's 17 federal regions, following a sharp rise in the amount of cash that exchanged hands – 9.7 per cent more in 2012 than in 2011.
Murcia is in 10th place, following a one-per-cent drop, falling behind the central and northern regions of Galicia, the Basque Country and Castilla y León, but ahead of Aragón, Asturias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Navarra, La Rioja and Extremadura.
In all, the areas where holidaymakers paid out the most money during their stay were the major cities and coastal areas, with land-locked central regions attracting less tourist cash.
