Spanish tourism begins 2015 with a Brit-backed bang

Brits are once again at the forefront of Spain’s strong start to the year for tourism.

Data published last week by Spain’s Ministry for Industry, Energy and Tourism has revealed that, in the first two months of the year, the country has smashed its previous tourism records – with Brits leading the charge.

Over the course of January and February, some 6.45 million foreign visitors arrived in Spain, an increase of 4.5 per cent on the same period last year, which itself was a record-breaker…

British visitors have increased by 2.7 per cent, rising to 1.22 million visits in the first eight weeks of 2015, which is way ahead of any other nationality. For February alone, Brits accounted for 640,000 of the recorded 3.28 million tourists that visited Spain – figures that were also an increase on 2014’s record showing.

French tourists are the next largest group, their numbers totalling 536,935 in February and around 470,000 in January, meaning 1.01 million French people have visited Spain so far in 2015. Germans are the third most-common nationality, with around 972,000 having visited the country in the first two months of the year.

Between them, British, French and German tourists have so far comprised 49.7 per cent of all foreign visitors to Spain, each slightly increasing their numbers on last year. The fastest-rising group, however, is Italians, whose visitor numbers have shot up by more than 20 per cent on last year, rising to just over 400,000 in the first two months – an increase that says a lot about the improving economic conditions across much of Europe.

American visitors are also on the rise, their numbers increasing 18.7 per cent on last year, totalling some 121,000 visitors in January and February. Also notable has been the drastic reduction of Russian tourists who have seen their purchasing power decimated as the ruble has fallen in value against nearly all other currencies. So far, just 80,000 Russians have visited Spain – a tumble of around 20 per cent in the space of a year.

Regionally, The most popular locations have remained unchanged, with the resorts of the Costa del Sol in Andalucía, the Balearics and Canary Islands, and the cities of Barcelona and Madrid proving the biggest draws.

Andalucía remains one of the most popular choices for holidaymakers.

Andalucía increased its foreign visitor numbers by 11.7 per cent on last year, with some 787,000 foreign visitors recorded. Data from the ministry also showed that around half of the 6.45 million tourists who have visited Spain so far this year arrived via low-cost flights: some 3.3 million passengers entered Spain this way in January and February, an increase of 14.4 per cent on 2014.

The thirst for lowest-cost carriers appears strong, with Ryanair accounting for 16 per cent of all low-cost flight. Between them, Ryanair, easyJet and Vueling accounted for 67 per cent of all low-cost passengers to Spain over this period.

Interestingly, there appears to be an increasing trend for tourists to stay in rented residential accommodation rather than traditional hotels. According to the ministry, the number of tourists opting for this type of accommodation has increased by 24.5 per cent in the space of a year, reaching around 540,000 in number.

The strength of the pound makes Spain an exceptionally cheap destination for British tourists, which may explain why a larger number of Brits have opted to stay in rented residential accommodation rather than hotels, the latter of which are more likely to adjust their rates accurately, accordingly and promptly to account for currency fluctuations.

So remember, if you own a holiday home in Spain and would like to rent it out to tourists, it pays to keep an eye on currency rates to ensure that you are charging a fair, attractive, but not too-good-to-be-true rate.