Málaga, (EFE).- After the records in Holy Week and the May Bridge, the Ministry of Tourism expects the trend to continue in summer and Andalusia will exceed 11.5 million tourists for the first time between July and September.
The Andalusian Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, Arturo Bernal, announced this Friday in Malaga the tourism forecast for the summer, in which the destination is expected to exceed the high season record.
If the expectations are confirmed, the number of visits would be 5% above the summer of 2022 and 1% more than in the same period of 2019, prior to the pandemic.
The growth between July and August will be supported by international tourism, which is expected to increase around 15% compared to the previous year, while the national market will keep the community as its first destination and an increase of around 1 is expected. %.
Intense growth of airports
With this visitor forecast, it is estimated that hotel establishments in the community will register 20.7 million overnight stays, 6.4% more than in 2022, of which 11 million will correspond to national travelers (1.6% more). and 9.7 million stays for internationals (12.6% more).
This growth will be even more intense in Andalusian airports, where more than 31,500 flights will operate offering 5.5 million seats, representing an increase of 15% compared to the same quarter last year.
In this way, increases in air seats will be experienced in all the main markets of Andalusia, with increases of more than 30% from Germany and Italy, 28% in Sweden, 27% in Switzerland, 23% in Ireland, 22% in the Netherlands, 17% in Denmark or 12% in Belgium, while from the United Kingdom, the main international issuer to the community, they will increase by 3.6%.
Calendar of events
Bernal also remarked that in the destination the summer season extends beyond this quarter, since in the region “it goes from May to October”, so it can be “considered due to climate and tourist activity as high season”.
In this sense, he has highlighted the agenda of events that are planned in the Andalusian community in the second half of the year, among which he has referred to the Latin Grammys, the Solheim Golf Cup, the Davis Cup and the Billie Jean King Cup tennis or the Sail GP of sailing, among other events.
This cultural and sports proposal, together with the tourist offer in Andalusia, has translated into an “increase in long-term reservations” as of October, according to Bernal, who has assured: “more tourists will come, more time and They will spend more.” EFE