Kirsty Mckenzie
A TOURISM chief has outlined the steps she thinks must be taken in order for the sector to recover in Malaga.
Tourism and Promotion councillor Rosa Sánchez has said the province will target UK holidaymakers to help boost the struggling economy.
Speaking at the Tourism Forum’s monthly meeting Sánchez outlined her roadmap for the province and told how a new tourism strategy is being established to recover the losses caused by COVID-19.
Tourism is one of many sectors hit hard by the pandemic and restrictions saw foreign tourists in Andalucia plummet by €9.6 billion in 2020.
The grim data by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the Tourist Expenditure Survey (Egatur) and the Border Movements Survey (Frontur) revealed that in 2020, just 2.7 million foreign tourists visited the region, a whopping 77.5% less than in 2019.
In Malaga, one of the most sought-after destinations in Andalucia, more than 117,000 families and 16,000 businesses depend on the tourism industry which represents 15% of the local GDP.
And now a programme of tourism destination developments – to champion all that Malaga has to offer – is being produced to aid the recovery.
Ms Sánchez said Malaga will launch several promotional campaigns across the UK, France, Germany and Scandinavia to encourage tourists to visit the province.
Sánchez also said the group has virtually participated in the ITB Berlin international trade fair and several online forums with tour agents and operators. She explained that work also continues on the ‘safe Malaga’ campaign, which aims to detect Covid-19 earlier through antigen testing.
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Spain’s Andalucia to lose 8 MILLION tourists in €5.5 billion hit over coronavirus pandemic
