Costa del Sol seeks to win over German tourists at the ITB fair in Berlin

Germany is the second most important international market for tourism in Malaga province and, according to 2024 statistics, the third fastest growing in terms of arrivals. To further strengthen this connection, Turismo Costa del Sol has planned a large-scale display at next week's Internationale Tourismus-Börse (ITB). The Berlin travel fair starts on 4 March. Francisco Salado, head of Turismo Costa del Sol, has stated that the objective is to gain the continuous loyalty of Germans.

What is also key for the Costa del Sol tourism sector is that the German tourist spends more on average, accounting for a 15.4% increase in income (almost 1.3 billion euros).

"We want to convince them that we are a renewed destination, with products for all audiences," said Salado. He highlighted that German arrivals at Malaga Airport have marked an increase of 19.3% in 2024 (981,880). In addition, three out of every four passengers from the German market arrived in Andalucía via Malaga Airport.

"It is the main air gateway to our region for German tourism. Arrivals to this facility represent 75.5% of those in Andalucía as a whole and 6.7% of those in Spain," said Salado.

The president of Turismo Costa del Sol has stressed "the undisputed leadership" of the province in the German market. A total of 803,000 German tourists arrived in Costa del Sol in 2024, representing an increase of 9.9% compared to 2023.

"What is more important, these tourists have generated a total of almost 1.3 billion euros, which implies an increase of 15.4%. This is a tremendously positive figure that endorses our strategies," he said. The arrival of these passengers has also contributed to the creation of 13,327 jobs, an increase of 12.5%.

Last year, 356,000 Germans stayed in hotels and holiday apartments, amounting to 1.63 million overnight stays. These figures show an upward trend of 11.8% in the number of tourists and of 13.5% in terms of overnight stays.

"Four out of every ten German tourists who stayed in Andalusian hotels and tourist flats were accommodated in the province of Malaga, which reinforces our leading position," said Salado.

He also announced that the province will have its own stand at the ITB fair in Berlin for the third year in a row. An investment of 250,000 euros will go towards the promotional campaign - 100,000 euros more than last year.

"The stand will take up 235 square metres of space, following a recognised model that we have already used at other fairs," said Salado. Fifty professionals and some 35 co-exhibiting companies and organisations will accompany Turismo Costa del Sol.

Salado has stated that "the Costa del Sol's campaign in Germany will be important and especially exciting, as it precedes the congress that the association of German travel agents will hold in the Costa del Sol at the end of March. We will also promote local products with Sabor a Málaga, we will have a meeting area and counters where the municipalities will promote their destinations."

Some thirty meetings are on the agenda to pursue agreements with operators and airlines to ensure this upward trend and improve air connectivity. Outside the fair, Turismo has also planned promotional activities on twenty buses and at Uber Platz, situated next to one of the world's most modern multifunctional stadiums and Germany’s second largest - the Uber Arena, where Malaga will be present on 16 billboards and five large screens. They have also planned a social media campaign with an advert, created specifically for this market, starring well-known German celebrities.

Salado highlighted the importance of the German market and the privileged position in which the Costa del Sol finds itself after a successful 2024. "The province is becoming more competitive compared to its ten main counterparts, as it is growing by 19.3%, while its main competitors are growing by an average of 9.3%. In this respect, only Alicante is ahead of us, while the Balearic Islands, Barcelona, Las Palmas, Madrid, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Gerona, Valencia and Seville are growing to a lesser extent," he said.