Varying reports, which we expect to see confirmed here at ITB, suggest that Spain is getting a boost to its hugely important tourism industry as northern European sun-seekers shun popular resorts in Egypt and Tunisia because of the civil unrest and anti-government uprisings.
The country has struggled in recent years to compete on price with beach destinations in Egypt’s Red Sea and Tunisia’s Mediterranean coast, which are not only cheaper but also not much farther away from key source markets like Germany and the UK.
However, following the unrest sweeping the Arab world since early January, tourists have been changing their travel plans and Spain, especially the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco, has been one of the main beneficiaries.
The country received 2.7 million foreign tourist arrivals in January, a 4.7% increase over the same month last year and the first rise in 18 months, according to recent media reports.
The Canary Islands attracted the most tourists. It was the destination of choice for nearly 870,000 foreign visitors last month, a jump of just under 9%.
Tour operators are now saying they could attract up to 300,000 extra visitors for the winter season, which ends in late April. Other regions are also getting a boost, especially the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean whose resorts, like those in the Canaries, tend to offer all inclusive packages like those in the seaside resorts of Tunisia and Egypt.
“The countries that have benefited most from the situation in Egypt are Spain, with bookings to the Balearics up 30% year on year, and Greece, up 20%,” the head of Europe’s second-largest tour operator Thomas Cook, Manny Fontenla-Novoa, said.
Online flight search engine WhichBudget.com reports a “significant increase” in flight searches to Spain since the protests began while searches to Tunisia have plunged by 50%, and those to Egypt by 30%. Barcelona saw the largest rise in flight searches last month, a 22% increase, followed by Tenerife in the Canaries with a rise of 12%, it said.
Both Egypt and Tunisia are mostly calm for now but fears persist that unrest could return is likely to deter many visitors in the short term. The Deputy Director General of Spanish tourism board Turespaña, Alvaro Blanco, said tourists were being “lent” to Spain from Egypt and Tunisia and the country needed to work to win their business for the future.
