14 January 2008
The arrival of foreign visitors will number close to 59 million, “with an average increase of approximately 2%,” said Secretary of State for Commerce and Tourism Pedro Mejía following his attendance at the XVII World Tourism Organization (WTO) General Assembly. Between January and October, Spain received 52.7 million tourists, 1.9% more than during the same period in the previous year.
The WTO attributes the recuperation of Spanish tourism to visitors from the Nordic countries, Italy and the United States (the number of American tourists increased by 21% this year). These visits have compensated in part for the smaller numbers of German and Dutch tourists arriving in Spain, as well as the stagnation of destinations like the Canary Islands.
The average expense per tourist has also increased, though by a small rate of 1.3%. According to Mejía, at the moment, the Spanish tourism sector has not been impacted by the real-estate crisis in the United States, nor by the rising petroleum prices.
El Inmobiliario día a día- December 2007
