Spanish Choose Spain for Summer Holidays
August 8th, 2012
According to the Survey of Spanish Tourist Movement (Familitur) conducted by the Institute for Tourism Studies (IET), Spain’s turbulent economic situation has forced the Spanish to travel less for their summer holidays, with 94% of Spanish citizens settling for travel within the country, and only 6% opting for foreign travel. Lower budgets has resulted in bookings for shorter holidays, but without foregoing any comforts, as hotel rooms are still the most popular choice for package holidays.
Tourist sectors, such as the Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (CEHAT), are grateful for this decision, and their president, Juan Molas, said he hopes that “the majority of Spanish people will stay in Spain as a result of the current economic situation.” The secretary general of the Spanish Hospitality Federation (Fehr), Emilio Gallego, also believes that Spanish citizens choosing to spend the summer within their national boundaries will have a positive effect, albeit that “consumption will be much less”.
In the same vein, El Mundo reported that the Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria, called on Spanish citizens to travel within their country and contribute to the improvement of the Spanish economy because “Spain is an extraordinary country in which to spend a holiday” he said, during an interview with Cadena Cope last week.
While hotel demand has fallen slightly (-260,287) over the same month last year, the Spanish still prefer this type of offer, especially in the three and four star categories, where overnight stays account for almost 76% of the total for residents using these services (9,661,004), according to the National Statistics Institute. The president of CEHAT said that this preference is because Spanish hotels in these two categories are “some of the best in Europe, offering services at competitive prices”.
The ‘sun and beach’ option was still the most popular for holidaymakers during the sixth month of the year, and is likely to remain so for the remainder of the summer. The president of CEHAT said that coastal areas, mainly in the Mediterranean and the Balearic and Canary Islands, are the most preferred destinations for the Spanish, and to a lesser extent inland areas and northern Spain.
According to the National Statistics Institute data, Andalusia, with 858,864 tourists, is the region most visited, with cities like Malaga, Cadiz and Almeria receiving the most Spanish tourists. Close behind is Catalonia, receiving 732,737 tourists, and with Barcelona and Tarragona being the most popular cities to visit.
Valencia received 468,604 visitors and recorded 1,452,714 overnight stays, while cities such as Madrid received 484,816 visitors and had 802,125 overnight stays.
For domestic tourism, the visitor data for Castilla y Leon was surprising. According to the National Statistics Institute, this community received 280,369 Spanish tourists, which was more than triple than the number of foreign tourists received.
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