Benidorm Sees Drop In Number Of Visitors As Tourist Shun The Costa Blanca, Report Shows

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Known for its British bars and nightlife, it would seem that Benidorm on the Spanish Costa Blanca is no longer as attractive as it once was.

The latest figures from La Asociacin Empresarial Hostelera de Benidorm y de la Costa Blanca (HOSBEC), show that visitor figures for the holiday resort have dropped with the accommodation sector experiencing 74.5% occupancy, the worst in 20 years.

Benidorm offers almost 70,000 nights of occupancy during the year through a network of 211 tourist establishments including hotels, apartments and camping, and it accounts for around 60% of the tourist activity in the Valencian region.

Analysis of the two last decades shows that 1990 was Benidorms worst year with 71.1% occupancy. Bu Benidorm now has more hotel beds on offer than twenty years ago.

It represents a 2% drop in visitors in 2009 compared with 2008. The figures indicate that those who did visit chose cheaper accommodation. Two star rated establishments reached 86.3% occupancy while four and three starred accommodation had 50.9% and 57.9% occupancy respectively.

Visitor numbers consisted of 48.2% Spaniards and 51.8% foreigners with the British again make up the most important foreign market with 43% of the total number, followed by Dutch at 4% and Belgians 3.2%.

The Provincial Association of Hotels (APHA) is hoping that a slight increase over the festive period is a god sign for 2010. The superb weather that the province had in December in contrast to the low temperatures of the rest of the peninsula, has helped, said a spokesman.

The tourism market remains one of the most important sources of income for the Valencian community, more so now than every with the drop in sales of second homes. But there are fears within the industry that when it comes to cost the Costa Blanca could lose out to cheaper destinations such as Turkey and Bulgaria.

The Costa Blanca has remained somewhat stagnant and comfortable without adapting to new areas of competition elsewhere, said one commentator.


About the Author:
This article has been provided by Ray Clancy, the Senior Editor at the Expat Forum - the primary community for expats online. The site also provides information and advice on matters such as Living in Spain.



Article Originally Published On: http://www.articlesnatch.com


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