Tourist spending falls

PALMA
FOREIGN tourist spending in the Balearic Islands fell by 23.5 percent during the first two months of the year in comparison with the same period in 2009, government figures showed yesterday.

Market research provided to Central Government's Ministry for Industry, Tourism and Commerce, said that the slump was chiefly triggered by the decline in numbers visiting the Balearic Islands from the region's key client countries, namely the United Kingdom and Germany.

The extent of loss to the Balearics can be seen in perspective when analysing results for Spain as a whole. Foreign tourism spending for the first two months of the year stood at 4'932 million euros - apparently very similar to that registered during January and February last year.

However, individual regional results were varied. The Canary Islands slumped year-on-year by 4.4 percent whilst Catalonia did 1.2 percent better in 2010 than in 2009, and Andalucia had an increased tourist spend of 13.2 percent, settling in at third place in terms of absolute figures after Madrid and Valencia.

The average spend per person per trip during the first two months of the year stood at 940 euros, 1.7 percent more than during the same period last year. The average daily spend was 96 euros, 0.6 percent more this year than last. The Canary Islands and Catalonia between them were responsible for more than half the tourist spend in Spain in January and February.

Despite being 10.3 percent down on last year, the British were the greatest spenders at the start of 2010, bringing to Spain some 984 million euros in the first two months, with an average spend of 777 euros per person.

German tourists took second spot with a total spend of 884 million euros, 6 percent less than last year.
By way of contrast, the Scandinavians increased their year-on-year spend by 1 percent and the Italians by 3 percent. The French, meanwhile, spent 6.2 percent less.

The amount of people looking to stay in accommodation other than hotels increased during January and February this year by 11.6 percent in comparison with 2009. As a result, there were 5.8 percent less people (year-on-year) booked into hotels.

Over 67 percent of spending by foreign visitors in Spain during the first two months of 2010, was made by those travelling independently, without being part of a tourist package.