Laurence Dollimore
MARBELLA saw the number of foreign tourists fall in the first half of 2024, latest hotel figures show.
According to the National Institute of Statistics, the number of visitors from abroad dropped by 0.69% compared to the same period last year.
In the first six months of the year, 351,756 tourists arrived in the municipality and stayed in hotels, which is 2,325 more than in 2023, with a percentage increase of 0.66%.
READ MORE: Puerto Banus is voted worst seaside resort in Spain
However the increase was buoyed by a rise in national tourists (+4,534), while the number of international visitors fell by a total of 2,209.
Local Spanish newspaper Marbella24horas – which is openly critical of the town hall – declared the resort ‘is losing steam’ among international tourists.
By month, arrivals increased in February, March (Easter) and May, while they fell in January, April and June.
In terms of overnight stays, they totalled 1,230,016, which is 8,630 fewer than in the same period last year (-0.69%).
The dip is despite a record 11.5 million travellers passing through Malaga airport between January and June, representing a 1.5 million (14.1%) increase on 2023.
It suggests that tourists are flocking to other destinations such as Estepona, Fuengirola or Malaga city.
Budget concerns may also be a factor in the slight drop, with resorts like Torremolinos offering much cheaper prices.
A report by Holidu this week said Torremolinos is the most-saturated town in Malaga province in terms of tourist-resident ratio.
According to the report, Torremolinos receives 1,201,138 tourists a year, of whom 778,016 are from Spain.
With a population of 70,434 inhabitants, that works out at a whopping 17.72 tourists per inhabitant.
Marbella also suffered a wave of PR disasters at the start of the year.
These included multiple shootouts between rival drug gangs, in which fortunately no tourists or locals were hurt.
One restaurant was even shot at in Puerto Banus, with photos online showing bullet holes in the window.
Meanwhile, in May, a Which? survey branded Banus the worst seaside resort in Spain, with one respondent calling it a ‘tacky, seedy dump’.
The UK’s ‘consumer champion’ encouraged tourists to rate Spanish coastal resorts based on 11 criteria including quality of the beach and seafront, food and drink, safety, accommodation and value for money.
An average score was then calculated to show visitor’s general satisfaction and likeliness to recommend the location.
Some 2,259 people responded to the survey, with Puerto Banus taking the last spot with a meagre 55%.
Marbella town hall will be hoping to recover the international market over the crucial summer months.
It comes as Malaga airport is preparing for yet another record month this August.
In just the first week of August, some 2,848 flights were expected, some 200 more than the same week last year.
