Passengers at Malaga Airport
Posted 17th April 2005
UK Travellers To Malaga Still Out Number Everyone Even The Spanish!
The latest statistics released by Malaga Airport have revealed that the United Kingdom is the only tourist market that has not slumped in the last four years. British Tourists visiting the Costa del Sol still occupy the greatest share of the market and this has continued to increase since 2000.
The figures also show that other smaller countries have moved up the list of the main nationalities spending their holidays on the Costa del Sol. Ireland has gone from eighth to fourth place; Denmark has gone from 11th to eighth Place while Norway has gone from 14th to tenth. Meanwhile Russia is a new country on the list in 14th Place.
The airport’s study has also shown that the massive double figure increases typical of around the year 2000 in certain international markets are definitely a thing of the past. Around four years ago the number of passengers using the airport increased by 10 per cent whereas in 21004 there were just 4.1 per cent more passengers than in 2003.
The changing behavior of foreign markets caused the Costa del Sol Hotel industry to lose a million overnight stays last year. A preference for private accommodation has a lot to do with this.
When comparing the flow of passengers through Malaga Airport in 2000 and in 2004, it is clear that the UK is the only tourist market that has register a significant increase in its quota of passengers over the last four years, going from representing 35.6 per cent of the total in 2000 to 41.7 per cent in 2004. However the number of British Tourists increased by only four per cent in 2004 compared with 18 per cent at the end of the last century.
The airports survey covers 17 countries and of them only seven have increased their quota of the total: the UK, Spain, Ireland France, Denmark, Norway, Russia and Israel. Apart from the first three the increase experienced by the rest is negligible. The three most important nationalities visiting the Costa del Sol and using Malaga Airport are still British, German and Spanish.
