Our View – Autumn Looking Good

TRADITIONALLY much of the Spanish tourist industry closes down for the Autumn but latest figures suggest that even if that is the case, those that remain open could be in for a bumper quarter.

There is a thriving ice cream parlour in the Marbella suburb of San Pedro that only opens from Easter until the end of September and the owners simply enjoy a very long break having made enough money in the summer to see them through the ‘colder’ months.

Many hotels are the same although with the National Government and local Tourist Offices promoting ‘out of season’ holidays there is generally a growing demand for accommodation and this is helped in no small way by the Imserso pensioners holidays sponsored by the Government.

Even if the actual number of visitors in the Autumn is less than in the summer, those establishments that do stay open could find themselves doing very well as numbers of visitors swell and fewer places are open to cater for them.

Tourism continues to be a very important contributor to the Spanish economy, not just because of the taxes that are raised but by the fact that more tourists means more staff staying in employment thus reducing the burden of social services.

The only fear that one must have is that those supplying beds, sustenance, travel and entertainment need to be very careful about pricing because with the increasing cost of living many tourists are more than ever looking to obtain value for money and won’t hesitate to look elsewhere if they feel they are being taken advantage of.

We must hope that the growth in the number of visitors in October continues for the benefit of the economy.