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MyMarbellaInfo.com has reported a rise in tourism. The site is constantly updated with information about Marbella, tourism, events and activities but also the day-to-day business of this picturesque town.
According to the latest figures released from the Institute of National Statistics, Marbella’s tourism industry is recovering and the economy is looking up.
Despite the current economic climate, the municipality of Marbella has registered a twelve per cent increase in overnight stays representing a total of 216,643 overnight stays in the Costa de Sol area. The figures also show that the hotel stays in the region of Marbella have risen 7%, which shows the Mayoress of Marbella, Angeles Munoz, that the town is slowly but gradually recovering.
Many factors have contributed to the rise in visitors, and Marbella has worked extremely hard to make sure the town stayed interesting and welcoming for the foreign tourists. This year’s events in Marbella were bigger than any other year, and most were an incredible success.
At the beginning of August, America’s First Lady Michelle Obama and Daughter Sasha, granted Marbella with a short visit, staying in one of Marbella’s Top Hotels generating an immense amount of Marketing for Marbella.
Then came the fabulous summer concerts including the X-Factor concert and the ABBA tribute concert Bjorn Again which attracted over 5000 visitors alone. The international Festival of Art, and the Food and Sun Festival have also all played part in luring holiday makers to the town this year.
Munoz is very pleased with these figures and claims these are the best figures they have seen in the last 5 years, but also stresses the economy are not in the green zone just yet. Munoz also that bad weather in other countries prompted foreigners to decide to go on a weekend break to Spain at the last minute.
Even though many more people visited Marbella this year, the rise in tourism does not automatically mean a rise in revenue, and unfortunately, there was indeed a drop in the average spend per person visiting the coast.
"People opt for eating in rather than eating out, and if they do eat out, they now order less than previous years" says one of the owners of a top restaurant in Marbella. "We used to sell a lot of special wines, and champagnes, but now even the rich and famous keep an eye on their pennies and more often than not opt for a glass of wine, or a bottle of house. We are happy hearing there is a rise in visitors, but it will be a long time still before people actually decide to spend again."
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
