Costa del Sol smashes every tourism record… ever!

As is by now customary, British tourists led the way, equating to 2.6 million arrivals, an increase of 16.6% compared with 2015.

In what has proved to be a record year for Spain’s tourism industry as a whole, Elías Bendodo, president of the Turismo Costa de Sol tourism authority, announced at a press conference in Málaga city last Wednesday the news that the province will close 2016 with the highest number of visitors ever recorded. The historic and all-important vital statistics? 12,000,000 visitors – an increase of 10.2% on last year’s figures which were also a record – 26,000,000 overnight stays… and a total spend of €11.1 billion…

The number of domestic holiday makers vacationing on the Costa del Sol was up by 3% year-on-year, while international visitors increased by a very substantial 15.7%. As is by now customary, British tourists led the way, equating to 2.6 million arrivals, an increase of 16.6% compared with 2015. In all, overseas visitors from 19 different countries – including Sweden, Poland, Russia, Romania and Hungary – all echoed this upward trend.

“If we do things right, both in the public and private sectors, in 2017 we’ll smash this year’s record again,” said Bendodo. “The great challenge is to retain these figures over the coming years.”