Balearics lead in August tourism

THE number of tourists coming to the Balearics in August this year was 10.9 percent greater than figures for the same month in 2009, a survey by tourist movement watchdog “Frontur” said yesterday.

Furthermore, the 1'677'030 visitors who came to the Islands last month, said Frontur, contributed to the biggest proportional year-on-year rise in the country.

Research at a national level showed that there was a 4 percent year-on-year increase in August, with 7 million foreign visitors coming to Spain that month.

In this respect, the Balearics was the region of Spain with the second highest number of foreign tourists in August, the watchdog claimed, beaten into second place only by Catalonia which registered 1.8 million visitors.

Following behind the Balearics were the Canary Islands with 707'482 visitors and an improvement of 7.9 percent compared to August last year.
Not everywhere in the country registered an upturn in international tourists in August. Despite the one million visitors who went to Andalucia last month, the figure was a decline of 4.5 percent compared to numbers for the same month in 2009.

Nevertheless, Miguel Sebastian, Spain's Minister for Tourism said yesterday in Congress in Madrid that statistical evidence showed that this latest tourist season “has been a good one” for Spain
He pointed particularly to the recovery of the United Kingdom as a key client market and to continued major custom from France and Italy.
The same report given by the Minister highlighted the success of the Balearics in the month of August, noting that it was visitors to the Islands from the Netherlands which had most increased in numbers last month.

The year-on-year increase of 10.9 percent in foreign tourist figures in the Balearics is the second best record for the Islands since Frontur began its research.

From January to August this year, more than 6.8 million foreign tourists have come to the Balearic Islands. The figure represents a growth of 0.5 percent in comparison with the same 8-month period last year.

At a national level, 37 million international visitors came to Spain between January and August this year, a year-on-year increase of 0.4 percent, one decimal point less than the Balearics.