Caitlin Quinn
LESS Russians, and more Americans.
That’s the trend in Spanish tourism in 2015 so far, which saw the number of Russian tourists fall by a staggering 37% and the number of American tourists increase by a considerabe 21%.
The month-on-month numbers are even more startling: The number of Russian tourists who visited Spain in July 2015 was 41% less than July 2014.
For Americans, the month-on-month increase was 40%.
The drop in Russian tourism is thought to be mostly down to economic difficulties — including European Union sanctions — in Russia following the conflict in Ukraine, while the boom in American tourism has been attributed to a recovering American economy and the appreciating dollar.
So far this year, an estimated 39 million foreign tourists have visited Spain.
Less Russians around? Fantastic! Now we just need them to rebuild the Iron curtain, then stay behind it.
Don’t be silly Jay, you can’t tar a whole country with the same brush. There are some lovely Russian people in Spain, and they are very talented and educated – just what Spain needs. What Spain doesn’t need is oligarchs and such like, who contribute nothing other than buying a mansion to use once a year.