Spain’s government downplays Malaga Easter Week losses amid AVE rail delays
The government's spokesperson in Malaga has cited official data, which shows an increase in national passengers and overnight stays in January, when the rail closed
Spain's government spokesperson in Malaga Javier Salas has toldthe public that the province will not suffer great losses during Easter Week because of the lack of direct trains to and from Madrid.
Robust tourism data defies rail disruptions
While acknowledging the inconvenience, Javier Salas dismissed claims of an impending economic crisis as "fear-mongering". He pointed to official data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE) as evidence of Malaga’s strength:
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National passenger numbers: Increased by 8.2% in January.
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Overnight stays: Rose by 22.7% during the same period.
These figures are significant as they coincide with the Adamuz train crash in January, which resulted in the AVE connection being non-direct for over a third of the month.
Salas has responded to the avalanche of criticism following the announcement that the province will not have direct AVE trains until the last week of April. Although he recognises that the news is not positive, he places the "safety of workers and passengers" before economic growth.
According to Salas, there is no room for panic and fear-mongering. He has cited official data from the national institute of statistics (Ine) that shows that, despite the Adamuz train crash in January, the province exceeded the number of Spanish passengers by 8.2 per cent in the first month of the year. At the same time, the number of overnight stays increased by 22.7 per cent.
"This data comes from a month where the AVE connection was not direct for more than a third of the time. Tourism in Malaga is strong and the government of Spain will always stand with the province," Salas stated.
He urged the regional government of Andalucía to abandon the "divisive" approach in the midst of the electoral campaign. He accused the PP party (leader in Andalucía and Malaga and the central government's opposition) of seeking advantage through populist aggravation.
