World Travel Market 2024
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As the professional meetings at the working tables of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London progressed, the clearer the future looks for Andalusian destinations in the United Kingdom, the main international market where holidaymakers to the south of Spain come from.
The conclusion reached by the business owners and officials of the various administrations who have been at the forefront of these meetings is that the feelings are good and confirm that the Andalucía region will maintain the current upward trend this winter and next year. However, they warn of the high prices of the destination's offer, which, for the time being, will not affect demand.
The Junta de Andalucía's tourism representative, Yolanda de Aguilar, announced this after holding a meeting with a dozen tour operators and airlines from the United Kingdom. "The British want Andalucía, they are looking for Andalucía and they will continue to bet on the destination. They have valued our strategy and have told us that they liked the fact that before we illustrated what we had and now we are showing what we are," she said.
Previously, in meeting with Jet2.com, which is the fifth largest airline in terms of passenger nuumbers at Malaga Airport, the bosses told De Aguilar that the demand from the British who want to spend their holidays in Andalusian destinations will grow at a rate of ten per cent per year until 2027. The business also announced that they will begin to expand beyond the Costa del Sol by expanding their presence in Almeria and starting to fly to Jerez, which will result in a greater influx of Britons to the areas of Cadiz, Huelva and Seville.
In fact, in the meetings with British operators and airlines, many urged Andalucía to work more on the winter offer, which also includes lowering fares, and to value and create products with proposals for lesser-known destinations with a high heritage value, giving as an example Úbeda or Baeza. "We have been told that market expectations are good despite the prices," said De Aguilar, explaining that this factor is a cause for concern given the increase in competition and the situation of the country's economy, which hampers spending capacity. "For the moment it is not reducing the interest of the British in Andalusian destinations. What's more, they insist that the winter is selling very well," she added.
Along the same lines, the president of the hoteliers association of Malaga and the Costa del Sol (Aehcos), José Luque, said that "prices are not going to rise next year at the levels they have been doing in recent years". What's more, he said that they are already taking their toll on the national market, especially in July, and that "they are unsustainable if not for international demand". However, he warned that the economic situation in the United Kingdom is also causing the British to look at their pockets more during their holidays and this is an issue to be considered, although it is not a cause for concern because all the indicators point to more British tourists arriving next year. "We will continue to grow. The bookings, which are being made further and further in advance, confirm this," he concluded.
Meanwhile, the Andalusian contingent was celebrating the surprise of having received the award for Best Stand from the WTM organisers.
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