British tourists are abandoning Spain and holidaying elsewhere, some tour operators warn.
The United Kingdom has been the main country of origin of tourists visiting Spain for decades. All year round, people from the British Isles have been coming to Spain and her islands in search of warmer temperatures.
However, according to some tour operators, this is changing.
What’s the story?
TUI, one of Europe's largest tour operators, argues that the British are starting to forsake Spain as their main destination, and have already found other places to go.
“More people go to Egypt in winter instead of to the Canary Islands," says Sébastien Ebel, director general of the TUI Group. For many tourists affordability is crucial, and Ebel notes that more and more travellers are operating on a budget.
"We also quite often see new customers who have less income but still want to travel and have a budget of €1,000 or £800 per holiday. If they don't see it in Spain, they look for alternatives and find them," he says.
With rising costs, capacity issues, and protests against mass tourism in Spain, places like Egypt and Tunisia are becoming attractive to those who want to save on their winter sun holiday.
"There is a shift taking place, especially in the family segment, towards more economical destinations," Ebel added.
EasyJet Holidays has also seen an increase in demand for less frequented destinations, such as Egypt and Morocco. Its chief executive, Garry Wilson, attributes this trend to significant improvements in hotels and infrastructure, making previously neglected areas much more attractive to international visitors.
Conclusions?
So, will this mean that popular holiday destinations in Spain will be quieter?
Will you be able to rent a sunbed if there are fewer British holidaymakers?
Will there be less drunkenness and bad behaviour in The Balearics and The Canary Islands?
Will we residents be able to move around more easily in cities like Madrid, Barcelona, San Sebastián, Granada, Sevilla and Málaga?
[Photo: Trip Advisor]
And in popular towns and villages like Ronda, Arcos de la Frontera, Estepona, Grazalema, Gaucín, Setenil de las Bodegas, Zahara de la Sierra, Nerja and Salobreña? And that’s just Andalucía!
We shall see …..
Puente Nuevo, Ronda [Photo: EWN]
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20minutos, Andalucía, Arcos de la Frontera, Balearics, Barcelona, British holidaymakers, British tourists are abandoning Spain, Canary Islands, drunkenness, EasyJet Holidays, Egypt, Estepona, Garry Wilson, Gaucin, Granada, Grazalema, Madrid, Málaga, Morocco, Nerja, Puente Nuevo, Ronda, Salobreña, San Sebastián, Sébastien Ebel, Setenil de las Bodegas, Sevilla, Spanish Fly, tour operators, Travel Guru, TUI, Tunisia, Zahara de la Sierra,