Andalucia Sees Decrease In Visitor Numbers

The Spanish region of Andalucía has seen its visitor numbers from Britain drop by 18% in the first quarter of 2009. The results were announced at the recent ‘Loving Andalucía British Tourist Trade Forum’ which took place in Malaga.

The Spanish Tourist Board confirmed that Andalucía, the second largest region in Spain, had welcomed 428,521 Brits in the first quarter, which is a larger decrease than that experienced throughout the rest of Spain – which welcomed a total of 15.7 million visitors in 2008.

The decrease in the number of British tourists choosing to take Spain holidays can be linked to the poor performance of the pound against the Euro, which has left many holidaymakers with the opinion that the destination is too expensive. UK package holidays to Spain have subsequently fallen by 11%.

The Andalucian tourist board is now planning an advertising campaign to take place during autumn and winter in order to reverse the fortunes of a once flourishing region. Andalucía is the second largest region within Spain and includes the popular resorts of Almeria, Granada, Malaga and Seville.