Couples who got married in Spain are increasingly going on trips together. According to statistics, more and more Spaniards can afford to spend the summer traveling. Although some families who got married in Spain are currently only traveling within the country, the increase in domestic tourists is a positive sign. The Spanish Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodations (CEHAT) does not keep separate statistics for foreign and domestic travelers, but representatives of the organization are confident that this year will be a record for both categories.
CEHAT notes that in regions of Spain where there are traditionally few foreign tourists, the number of visitors has increased by 40% compared to 2013. Activity is also noted at smaller airports, which mainly serve only Spaniards. CEHAT emphasizes that not only the number of Spanish holiday trips has increased, but also their duration. During the crisis, many domestic tourists going on holiday during the Easter season could only afford a three-day trip, but this year many are staying for a week.
Optimism is also expressed by the Exceltur organization: economic growth and affordable energy prices have become the main reasons why Spaniards have begun not only to travel more, but also to spend more money, including on trips abroad (by 17.12%) and on the services of 4-5-star hotels (5.5%).
In 2016, Spaniards took 182 million trips, up 3.7% on 2015. The total amount spent on holidays was 41.1 billion euros, up 9.1% on the previous year.
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Strong growth in tourism consumption indicators was seen between March and May, driven by the Easter week and good weather. Growth was seen across all parameters: rural tourism grew by 13.2%, the number of bookings for licensed tourist apartments increased by 11.8%, and the number of overnight stays in campsites increased by 9.9% compared to 2016.
The director of the School of Tourism at the University of Barcelona, José Antonio Pérez-Aranda, confirms that this year has been a year of complete recovery for the national tourism sector. This is due not only to the economic recovery, but also to the emergence of the new low-cost airline Level, which offers the lowest prices for flights to the United States and Latin America. There is currently an increase in both short-term trips within Spain and trips abroad.
Although most Spaniards who want to go on honeymoon or family holidays abroad prefer European countries, the greatest growth was observed in the Asia-Pacific region – 15.7%. The number of trips to Canada and the United States increased by 4.4%, and to Latin America – by 4.6%.
Experts believe that the fact that Spaniards have begun to travel abroad more often is a sign of the improvement of the national economy. Interestingly, Spaniards spend more money on their trips than at home – 96 euros compared to 44 euros.
A survey conducted by INE shows that if at the height of the crisis 45% of respondents could not afford to go on holiday for even a week, last year this figure dropped to 39.5%. So it can be said that Spaniards have started to travel more.
