Holiday Lettings news - 'Winter in Spain' campaign announced as Spain's tourism figures fall

'Winter in Spain' campaign announced as Spain's tourism figures fall

Spain is being marketed as a winter sun destination in the country's new campaign, "Winter in Spain". As visitor numbers to Spain fall, the country's tourism authorities are rebranding its tourist industry in an effort to rekindle interest.

"It's a proposal by the government to attract people outside of the usual summer holiday period. We are renowned for our sun, and that sun shines all year round," a spokesman from Spain's Tourism and Industry Ministry told The Independent.

The exact details of the Winter in Spain campaign have not yet been announced, with the source describing it as a "work in progress". However, more details are expected after a brainstorming meeting in Seville at the end of September.

We need urgent measures to prevent us suffering the same fate as the construction industry, big financial injections to reconvert our deteriorated tourist areas," Jose Luis Zoreda, from Spain's Alliance for Tourism Excellence, is reported to have said.

A Ministry statement explained that one of the main aims was to attract more elderly, European tourists during the winter months, as the tradition of elderly Spaniards holidaying on home soil over the winter begins to fall foul of the credit crunch. The Spanish government has already pledged €500m to update tourist attractions, but the effects of this won't be felt until 2009, the paper claims.

The campaign comes as the number of tourists to Spain fell by eight per cent in July compared with the same period in 2007, with the Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, the Balearic Islands and Andalucia the hardest hit.

In particular, fewer tourists from Switzerland, France and Italy chose to holiday in Spain this year. Spaniards have also cut back on domestic holiday spending, which is down 30 per cent.

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