As we approach the time that Theresa May said she would invoke article 50 and formerly start the BREXIT process, there has been a lot of chatter about Spain’s tourism figures. Not just from the UK, which is said to be a large percentage of the overall numbers, but tourist from all over the globe.
Some more in-depth analysis of UK tourism in Spain for last year however indicated that British tourists were responsible for spending some 44.5 million euros every day.
With the overall tourism numbers up last year (all foreign visitors) by around 10%, with a spending power in the region of 77.62 billion euros, it is no wonder that this is taking centre stage by the Spanish government.
These numbers are a clear indication that the ‘tourism’ relationship with Spain and the UK, post BREXIT, must remain intact and as it is now. These numbers show that UK tourism to Spain forms a major part of the overall Spanish economy and any major disruption to Brits being able to easily travel and stay in Spain would have an very negative effect on Spain.
The fall in the value of sterling does not seem to have put the Brits off coming to Spain and figures have indicated that in December 2016, the total amount spent by UK visitors actually rose by a staggering 24.1%.
There was a negative factor though that was discovered. The average length of time Brits spent on holiday in Spain actually fell by 18.3% to just over 9 days per holiday, but while they were here, they actually spent more money.
The Costa Blanca and Valencia saw the biggest increases overall as they remain the most popular destinations for UK holiday makers, but all coastal areas saw healthy rises.
It will be interesting to see how this trend continues and what agreements are negotiated between Spain and the UK to ensure the stability of these figures.