Tourism in Benidorm increases

TOURISM in Benidorm increased by seven per cent this summer compared to the same period last year, according to hospitality association Hosbec.

Despite this slight recovery, we are not out of the woods yet. “We still have three or four years before we can recover the 30 per cent drop in profits since the beginning of the economic crisis,” Hosbec president Antonio Mayor told Spanish newspaper Levante.

Now that the demand for hotel rooms has improved, Hosbec are looking to improve profitability with a gradual increase in prices. Meanwhile, the summer season closed with a growth in employment by between five and seven per cent, compared to summer 2010.

“It has been a good summer, not only for hotels, but for businesses that live off tourism,” said Mr Mayor. “The diversion of tourism from Arab countries and the improvement in some European country’s economies, especially Britain, was they key to this recovery.”

Photo credit: po.psi.que