The Costa del Sol is preparing to display at the International Tourism Trade Fair (
FITUR) in Madrid, with the homework done. The President of the Tourist Board, Elías Bendodo, yesterday presented the final results of 2011 and stressed that the province had managed to close the exercise with an increase in tourist arrivals of 3.5%, to bring the number of visitors to 9, 1 million, although the general economic situation has not been the finest. The revenue generated by these tourists reached 8,000 million euros.
"It's already important to present this kind of data, at a time like this, when it is so important to grow, but most importantly at this kind of level. Tourism is now the main industry of the province," said Bendodo.
In this report, the Chairman of the Board noted that all indicators have evolved upwards, including employment, except for those representing the average length of the visits which has decreased from thirteen to nine days, and the travel budget, which has fallen from 800€ to 760€.
Tourism accounts for more than 13% of the GDP of the province, Bendodo uses this to justify the huge display designed for the 32 edition of FITUR, which begins on the 30th of January and lasts until 3rd of February.
In this edition, this tourist destination will be presented as one, with the exception of Malaga and Torremolinos who will have their own separate stands, and the products will be presented by segment activity type. The big news this year is the presentation of MAR de Culturas, which stands for the cultural centre of Málaga, Antequera and Ronda, to be made in front of the presence of the Secretary of State for Tourism, Isabel Borrego, and the Secretary of State for Equal Opportunities and Participation and Equality, Isabel and Juan Manuel Moreno, respectively.
Original Article Source: Diariosur.es
