Scandinavians giving hotels winter boost

SOME hotels along the coast of Granada report that they can count on an occupation level of at least 40 per cent in the winter thanks to Scandinavian tourists.

Over the past year, tourists from Scandinavia have begun visiting the area out of season, and this situation has improved this season thanks to the presence of a new tour operator in the area, Radial Touring, from Norway.

Some of the hotels which benefit from this are the Helios, Almuñecar Playa or Bahia Tropical which currently have some 450 tourists from Norway and Sweden staying with them.

Some arrive by bus and others by plane, but they use Almuñecar as a base from which to visit the rest of the coast, Granada and Malaga cities, the Alpujarra, and more distant destinations such as Cordoba, Gibraltar, Ubeda and Baeza.

Many are interested mainly in hiking in the area, but the older tourists mainly want to get away from the cold in their home countries for a month’s time.

Most come through agencies which have been working in the area for years, and stay for an average of 21 days.