Brit boom on Costas
Terror zones snub
HOLIDAY Brits are heading to sun-soaked Spain in record numbers to avoid countries hit by terrorism such as Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.
BRITS are soaking up the Costa sunshine in record numbers as rival hot-spots are rocked by terror threats.
More than 67 million holidaymakers have swamped sun-drenched Spanish resorts this year.
And a quarter of them have flown there from Britain. A record 9.6m tourists landed in Spain in July alone – 11% more than last year.
Spanish officials reckon there is no doubt their soaring tourism industry is due to folk avoiding terror traps such as Tunisia, Turkey and Egypt.
Tragic
Rafael Gallego, head of the Spanish Travel Agents and Tour Operators’ Association, said: “Between 12% and 15% of the tourists coming to Spain wouldn’t have come were it not that those destinations competing directly with Spain for sun and beaches are closed due to tragic events.”
Figures for last month are yet to be published, but the Association of British Travel Agents expects to see a 25% rise in visitors to Spain.
Bulgaria and Cuba have also been reaping the benefits, with the number visiting Turkey falling by 30%. Tourist numbers are also 60% down for Egypt and trade has collapsed for Tunisia.
Of the 4.6 million tourists now avoiding those countries, nearly half opted for Spain instead.
But not all Spaniards are happy about the influx of holidaymakers, with some complaining the country has hit “saturation point”.