Rise in UK travellers to the Costa Daurada
The Costa Daurada region in Spain (including Salou, Cambrils, Vila-seca, La Pineda Platja) saw a rise in overnight stays from UK travellers during the summer season, according to the latest data from the PCT (Science and Technology Park for Tourism and Leisure of Catalonia).
From 1 May - 15 September 2016, there were 1,733,106 overnight stays in hotels, campsites and apartments from UK guests in the region, an increase of 24.4% on the same period in 2015 (1,392,914 overnight stays).
There was also an increase in Irish visitors during the same period, with 519,344 overnight stays from Irish tourists, up from 431,333 in 2015 – an increase of 20.4%.
Overall there were 8,373,188 overnight stays from global visitors in the coastal towns of Salou, Cambrils, Vila-seca, La Pineda Platja from 1 May – 15 September 2016, an 8.2% rise on the same period for 2015 (7,741,536). Other markets that also saw an increase in overnight stays included Spain, Russia, France, Germany and Holland.
Figures release by Reus Airport showed that 599,743 passengers passed through the airport between January and August 2016, a 14.6% increase compared to the same period in 2015. Reus Airport stated that 60% of passengers passing through the airport during the summer months were travelling from the UK.
“It has been a very successful tourism season for the towns of Salou, Cambrils, Vila-seca, La Pineda Platja that make up the Costa Daurada region. The increase of UK and Irish visitors has been driven by new routes from Dublin and Liverpool in 2016, our increased standard of accommodation and reputation as a family-friendly destination with plenty of beaches, watersports activities and the theme park PortAventura to offer,” said Joan Antón Jiménez, the Managing Director of the Federation of Hostelry and Tourism in Tarragona (FEHT).
“We have seen many first time visitors during 2016 and the challenge looking forward is to encourage these visitors to travel to the region again through our range of quality accommodation and tourism offering” continued Joan Antón Jiménez.
New for 2017
Jet2 has announced new flights from Birmingham and London Stansted to Reus (15 minutes the Costa Daurada) for summer 2017.
Birmingham to Reus – operating three times a week with Jet2.com flights from £45 one way, including taxes, and Jet2holidays breaks from £299.
London Stansted to Reus – operating four times a week with Jet2.com flights from £39 one way, including taxes.
Ryanair will fly from Birmingham airport to Reus from spring 2017. The seasonal routes from Liverpool and Dublin will see more regular flights to Reus for summer 2017 (ryanair.com).
For more information on what to see and do in the Costa Daurada, visit costadaurada.info.
