Madrid (EFE).- The President of the Principality of Asturias, Adrián Barbón, highlighted this Thursday at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) in Madrid that Asturias broke all its tourism records in 2022, without even having the data for December.
From January to November, Asturias exceeded 2.3 million travelers and registered 5.9 million stays, representing an interannual growth of 30.6% in the number of visitors and 23.4% in overnight stays.
As Barbón has stated, the data that was in 2019, which was the year of historical record, has been exceeded and they anticipate that, by the end of 2022, Asturias will have exceeded 6 million overnight stays for the first time.
International tourism rose to all-time highs, registering more than 446,000 tourists and 960,000 stays, so that, compared to 2021, the number of visitors increased by 129% and overnight stays by 126%.
The Asturian president has reported that, according to the first estimates available to them, total tourist spending has increased by 33.9% compared to 2021.
According to Barbón, tourism contributed 11% of the Gross Added Value to the economy of his autonomous community and influenced the creation or maintenance of 50,000 full-time jobs, which is equivalent to about 13% of all jobs in Asturias. .
“These are objective and unquestionable numbers that have a lot to do with quality, the setting for the landscape, gastronomy, culture, the industrial heritage of Asturias,” he commented.
The Asturian president has informed that the amount destined for the tourism sector in 2023 will be the highest in its history (30 million euros) and has assured that this year the high-speed rail connection will be completed and that the trains will cover the complete journey from Madrid to Oviedo and Gijón.
Likewise, he underlined that Asturias will have the greatest offer of air connectivity so far this year, with 27 routes in spring, and he stressed that the territorial plans approved to date distribute their actions in 58 of the 78 Asturian councils and have meant an investment of 54.7 million.
Barbón took advantage of his visit to Fitur to announce the delivery of the Asturias medal to chef José Andrés, for being “a sign of commitment and values, a reference person and an example of the best Asturias”. EFE