Walter Finch
ANDALUCIA is set to announce its best ever tourism season thanks to record-breaking revenue from international visitors.
The period from January to July is on track to deliver nearly €10.6 billion in revenue, announced Tourism Minister Arturo Bernal – a 5% increase compared to last year.
In July alone, the region saw a remarkable €2 billion in revenue from international visitors, a historic high.
Pending figures for August and July, Bernal called it ‘possibly the best summer in the history of Andalucia.’
“In terms of revenues, we are around €2 billion in the month of July – never in history has there been so much income from just international tourism.
He stressed: “Two billion euros in revenue from international tourism. It is the first time in history that this figure has been recorded.”
The boom in international tourism has added an additional 11,000 employees to the workforce in July – ‘also a record figure.’
But one of the most pleasing statistics of all was that the number of international visitors had hardly grown at all – just 2% – ‘which was what we were looking for.’
It chimes with the region’s ambition to attract ‘higher quality’, higher-spending tourists.
While celebrating these positive results, Bernal also addressed the challenges posed by mass tourism, particularly in coastal areas.
He encouraged the cruise ship sector to work more closely with local communities to mitigate the impact of tourism, emphasising the importance of sustainability and zero-pollution initiatives.
When asked about the potential implementation of a tourism tax, Bernal was less enthusiastic.
“The introduction of a tourism tax has not proven to be a solution, either in Spain or abroad,” he said.
“It hasn’t addressed issues of funding or tourist overcrowding.”
He called for a more thorough evaluation of the challenges facing the sector, advocating for ‘calm and rigorous’ discussions to find more effective solutions.
He also rejected the ‘populist’ backlash against tourism – the life blood of the region – and the idea of ‘rushed measures’.
He pointed out that some populist decisions in northern Spanish cities have had little long-term impact.
