Of all the Spanish regions Valencia suffered the largest fall in tourist income last year according to the latest EGATUR survey, which estimates that 700 million euros was lost in 2009 compared to 2008. A fall in both the number of international tourists and also in their average spend. Figures released by the Institute of Tourist Studies showed that the region was hardest hit with total spend down 14.2 per cent.
Second to Valencia came the Canary Islands with income down 13.4 per cent . The Balearics were down 7.2 per cent, Andalucía down 6.7 per cent and Cataluña down just 6 per cent. In fact, Madrid was the only region of the country to see a growth in both the number of foreign visitors and the amount they spent over 2009.
This report came hot on the heels of industry praise for Benidorm. The Chairman of the Association of British Travel Agents, ABTA, John McEwan, was presented last week with the Gold Insignia from HOSBEC, the hoteliers association on the Costa Blanca and in his speech McEwan said that Benidorm had learned how to adapt and modernise its infrastructures, and this had kept it as the number one destination.
He also said he was impressed by the understanding and flexibility shown by the hoteliers last year and the efforts made to keep prices down to offset the effect of the strong Euro against the pound. He said that such an open attitude would keep Benidorm and Spain as number one in both good and bad times.
Antonio Mayor from the Hoteliers said that the British ‘feel at home’ in Benidorm and that the destination could even be considered almost as a domestic destination for them. He also noted that Alicante El Altet airport was the most profitable in the country, but could not be so without Benidorm and the British tourists and their more than four million seats sold in 2009.