Alicante to be best connected to Britain

THIS year Alicante Province is set to become the best connected Spanish tourist resort to Britain as a result of new routes revealed by low cost airline Jet2.com. This was revealed in a report by Spanish newspaper Informacion which said the airline will double the destinations available from El Altet from April.

Currently they have direct flights to Blackpool, Manchester and Leeds in northern England. Flights to Glasgow, Newcastle and East Midlands will be added.

Already 25 low cost airlines operate from El Altet, making the airport a national benchmark in this sector, especially with the British market.

In a statement Jet2.com said the British “will want to continue going on holiday after two very difficult years. They may postpone getting a new car, but they do not sacrifice holidays.”

In February, the Provincial Tourism and hotel business association Hosbec will launch a promotional campaign – with a €400,000 investment – focusing on the cities of Manchester, Birmingham, Leicester, Derby, Newcastle, Bristol and Nottingham.

They will be advertising in 172 travel agencies in these cities as well as billboards, taxis and buses, expecting to reach 7 million Britons.

Britain is the principal international tourist market for the Costa Blanca, accounting for 59 per cent of international tourism.

Last year there were 4.3 million British passenger arrivals to El Altet, which represents 46 per cent of total airport traffic, official figures show.

“The goal is to increase our presence in British cities that have direct connections with the province in order to influence their decision on where to spend their holidays,” explained Alicante Provincial Government President Jose Joaquin Ripoll.

Tourism activities represent 12.8 per cent of Valencia Region’s GDP and provide 257,000 jobs, both directly and indirectly, Regional Government President Francisco Camps said.

By Nicole Hallett