Málaga province poised for €6bn summer injection of tourist cash

The beaches and bars of the Costa del Sol will bustle all summer, according to bullish projections from the region’s tourist board.

The signs that summer is in full swing are all around us: Tennis has been on our screens for the past two weeks, the mercury is creeping ever higher, and the urge to down tools for a week or two is stronger than ever.

But one of the surest signs of summer’s arrival is the boost in visitor numbers recorded on the Costa del Sol…

One of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, the region is always playing host to thousands of visitors at any given time, but this summer season promises to be a bumper one – with the Costa del Sol tourism authority expecting an 11% increase in visitor numbers on last summer.

What this means for the Málaga province is oodles more cash being spent in the restaurants, resorts, cafés and bars that dot the coastline, with the tourist board confident of an estimated €5.9 billion due to flow into the local economy between the months of June and September.

Elias Bendodo, who is the president of the Costa del Sol tourism authority, said that he expects there to be an extra 623,000 visitors to the region this summer compared to 2015. This will push the number of holidaymakers choosing the Costa del Sol above six million for the first summer ever: a result of more affordable prices, stronger economies across Europe, and the persistent threat of terrorism casting a cloud over many other Mediterranean destinations.

“We are heading into this summer with optimism,” he told a press conference this week. “After a winter with 12% more visitors, we will be making history again. It will be the best summer ever for the Costa del Sol.”

Confident words, backed up by hard data and undeniable trends. Brits are once again set to be the biggest group of visitors in terms of nationality, but the changing geopolitical situation elsewhere in Europe means that the Costa del Sol is set to play host to a variety of new visitors.

According to the tourism board, Polish visitor numbers are up 57%, there will be 41% more Danes in Spain this summer, and the ever-present Germans are set to swell their number by 11% – with all three groups turning their attentions to Spain and away from resorts in Turkey and Egypt.

Equally, 25% more French and 15% more Dutch and Belgian visitors are expected, largely for the same reasons. The number of Brits due in southern Spain this summer is also set to grow by 21%, allaying any lingering fears that the Brexit vote may have put off some would-be travellers.

“The Costa del Sol has always been the favoured destination for the British, even before the creation of the EU,” added Bendodo. “I am confident that this will continue to be the case.”