Spain could lose four million tourists this year

Spain could lose this year as many as four million tourists which it attracted in 2011, with industry sources expecting 1.9 million tourist visitors of the summer. Lower prices in Tunisia and Egypt, which are now back on the market, have taken a quota from the British market say the hoteliers. The alarm was sounded in April when the numbers of visitors fell 1.7% compared to last year over the Easter break. The average stay has fallen to 8.1 days, which is an all time low. The President of CEHAT, the Confederation of Hotels and Tourist Apartments, Juan Molas, warned that the preliminary figures show that they could be a 6% fall in numbers over the summer. The main concern is the British market, with one in four tourists who visit Spain coming from the U.K. be it off season or in the summer. In addition to the recovery of Tunisia and Egypt he drew attention to the Olympics in London and the campaign in the UK for national tourism this year.