Andalucía makes history in the UK: record numbers of visitors and revenue

During his first appearance at the Excel exhibition centre and before touring the 575-metre stand where the region is showcasing its offerings to exchange views with tourism professionals, Gavira presented the figures showing that Andalusian destinations have set new records for visitor numbers and revenue from tourists from the UK.

The figures speak for themselves: Andalucía has welcomed 2.7 million British tourists up to September, an increase of 8.4%. "This is the highest figure on record for this period, with growth rates that are also among the highest in the country and well above the national average," he explained.

The regional minister expressed his confidence that this trend will continue until the end of the year, although he said it with caution weighing up the impact of international uncertainty affecting key factors such as rising fuel prices, which directly affect airline operations.

Gavira pointed out that Andalucía welcomed 3.1 million British tourists in 2025, 10.7% more than in the previous year and exceeding pre-pandemic levels for the first time. "The destination has recorded the highest growth among the main tourist regions and has seen a rise almost three times that of the national average, which stood at 3.8%," he explained, highlighting one of the key indicators of his strategy to shift the focus from volume to value.

Gavira noted that the UK "is the source market with the highest expenditure in the region", totalling almost 3.2 billion euros, 6.1% more than in the first nine months of 2025 and accounting for a share of nearly 19% of total spending by foreign visitors to the region, according to data from the national institute of statistics. The report puts total spending by international tourists up to September at 17.3 billion euros, 10.3% more than in the same period in 2025.

Regarding the expectations of tour operators and the main airlines for next year, Gavira chose to remain cautious in light of the country's economic situation, with further rises in inflation, and the uncertain international climate, which is driving up the price of aviation fuel. Despite this, he indicated that, for the final quarter of the year, air capacity from the UK to Andalucía is forecast to rise by 7.6%, reaching nearly 936,000 seats, which also represents an 18.7% increase compared with the capacity in the final quarter of 2019, prior to the pandemic.

Conversely, in the case of the Costa del Sol, airlines have warned that they will reduce flight capacity by 5% over the next six months. This has not caused concern, as it is considered that the sector is very cautious in its forecasts.

Gavira emphasised that one of the objectives is to improve air connectivity so that British visitors can reach more destinations in the region 365 days a year. "Once again this year, the UK ranks as the leading international source market for Andalucía, with a share exceeding 21% both in 2025 and so far in 2026. This is more than double the share accounted for by France, the Nordic countries or Germany, which are the next largest markets in terms of share."

In line with the objectives of achieving a more even distribution of tourism across the region and over time, the regional minister highlighted aspects of British tourist behaviour at the destination that indicate progress towards this goal. Tourists from this market visited a total of 347 municipalities in Andalucía in 2025, covering 60% of the region's area: 1.8% more than in the previous year.

Furthermore, 39 towns that had not been visited in 2024 were added to the list. These municipalities are widely spread across the interior of Andalucía, with the province of Malaga receiving 34% of this British demand from visitors keen to discover new places, followed by Granada with 28.6%, Seville with 13.8% and Cadiz with 8.1%.

Both during his public appearance and in his face-to-face meeting with the hundreds of Andalusian professionals who had travelled to London, Gavira focused his attention on the business opportunities taking shape at the WTM and on the new prospects opening up for Andalusian destinations.

The tragic rail accident in Urda was very much on people's minds during the WTM, as business leaders and tourism boards conveyed their concerns about the impact of the suspension of the high-speed rail network and the resulting loss of trust in rail travel.

Gavira announced that they will use the trade fair to work with airlines and land transport companies to mitigate the effects of the "rail blackout", as he termed it. "We are going to listen to proposals to analyse measures to improve air and land connectivity between Andalucía and Madrid," Gavira stated.

Andalucía has cancelled the launch event for the Andalusian tourism campaign in London, which more than 100 tourism experts from the UK were due to attend, out of respect for the victims of the Urda accident.

Gavira emphasised that the focus of the promotion in the British capital over the course of these events is on "expanding our offering and diversifying demand", paying particular attention to sectors such as conference tourism, golf, family tourism, premium tourism, culture, the countryside and nature.

While touring the Andalusian section, the regional minister also visited the Costa del Sol stand. There, he exchanged views with industry professionals, among them president of the Costa del Sol hoteliers' association (Aehcos) José Luque, who is convinced that, despite the caution prevailing among UK tour operators, "the British are willing to break the piggy bank to enjoy a holiday in the Costa del Sol". Luque acknowledged that international geopolitical uncertainty and the country's economic situation may affect demand, but that travelling "is now a must for British tourists".

Cristina Montero, owner and manager of The Palm Experience Hotels chain, confirmed that, during meetings at the WTM, tour operators are showing "caution due to the high cost of kerosene, which is leading to adjustments to operations and flights".

Chairman of the tourism council of the confederation of Andalusian entrepreneurs (CEA) José Carlos Escribano also contributed to the conversation: "We are fairly confident and convinced that the airlines will gradually adapt to demand." As for new trends emerging at the fair, he stated that they are seeing a slowdown in advance bookings, although these are still on the rise, to some extent influenced by global uncertainty.

The WTM enters its final day on Thursday, 5 November, with more than 180 countries from around the world taking part in this year's event, at which Andalucía received the prize for the most accessible exhibitor at the fair.

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