More Malaga Airport connections to boost tourism

MORE air connections are being made with destinations around the world to the Costa del Sol, sparking optimism within the tourist industry.

Airline company, Blue Air, plans to bring 38 per cent more Romanian tourists to the area this year.

The President of the Costa del Sol Tourism Board, Salvador Pendon, held meetings with more than 30 agents from the tourism sector in Bucharest to promote the Costa del Sol as a destination for Eastern European tourists.

Representatives from Blue Air reported that they intend to increase the number of weekly flights from three to four from April, while tour operator Prestige Tour will increase the number of trips here by 10 per cent, thanks to its 10 agencies in Romania.

Tez Tour, the main Russian tour operator working for Turkey, also expressed its interest in making connections with the Costa del Sol, and Cocktail Holiday and the tourism board will study the possibilities of a weekly flight from Malaga to Bucharest with airline Tarom.

At further meetings held in Warsaw, Poland, the Costa del Sol Tourism Board encouraged tour operators to organize charter flights to Malaga during the winter.

In March, Ryanair will launch two weekly flights from Krakow (Poland) and two from Wroclaw.

Tour operators TUI and Thomas Cook will increase the number of tourists visiting the Costa del Sol in 2011, from Vienna (Austria) and Bratislava (Slovakia), thanks to new and existing flights.

Meanwhile, Turkish Airlines, a member of the Star Alliance group, has announced flights from Malaga to Vietnam from April, all of which will have connection flights in Istanbul.