Slight bounce back in Spanish tourism trade in 2010

Jan 24, 2011, 12:57 GMT

Madrid - International tourist arrivals to Spain increased by 1 per cent to 52.6 million in 2010 - slightly less than had initially been expected - the country's tourism ministry said Monday.

Tourism has been growing for the first time in two years, after being hit by the global crisis.

However, tourism to Spain was badly affected last year by ir traffic disruptions caused by a volcanic ash cloud from Iceland and a Spanish air controllers' strike.

Spain's fastest-growing tourism markets include France, Italy, the Netherlands and Nordic countries, the ministry said.

However, the number of British and German tourists dropped by 6.5 and 1.4 per cent respectively in 2010. The two countries nevertheless remain Spain's top tourism markets, with a total of more than 20 million arrivals.

Spain receives the world's fourth-largest number of tourists after France, the United States and China, the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) said recently.

If measured by tourism income, however, Spain is the world's second-largest tourist destination after the United States.

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