Alex Trelinski
TENERIFE and Alicante have taken the top two places in a survey of European tourist favourites for a Christmas getaway.
The findings come in the Mastercard Economic Institute’s (MEI) ‘Europe Holiday Spending Outlook 2024’ report, which shows the top 10 festive destinations which also feature Malaga and Gran Canaria.
The MEI report establishes works out rankings according to flight bookings and makes a comparison with the previous year.
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Spain does well because of mild weather in the Canary Islands or the attraction of cities that are by the sea.
Good temperatures are attractive to European tourists, according to the MEI chief economist in Europe, Natalia Lechmanova.
“Mild weather is a big appeal but there are other factors such as beauty, wellness, fashion and the electronic sector which see improved business in Spain due to tourists,” she commented.
There are also variations among nationalities with Gran Canaria and Malaga especially popular among Germans and Danes, while Finns and Swedes are more attracted by Alicante.
On the flip side, the most popular foreign cities for Spaniards are Manchester, Budapest, Oslo, Lisbon, Milan, Bristol, Warsaw, Edinburgh, Birmingham and Geneva.
Manchester is fourth on the list boosted by music fans going to the Co-op Live Arena from across Europe- the largest venue in the UK.
The top 10 list is:
- Tenerife, Spain
- Alicante, Spain
- Budapest, Hungary
- Manchester, United Kingdom
- Malaga, Spain
- Marrakech, Morocco
- Gran Canaria, Spain
- Krakow, Poland
- Lisbon, Portugal
- Dublin, Ireland
