Luxury tourism ‘crucial’ for local market

TOURISM Costa del Sol (TCS) and Andalucian Tourism have sent a combined delegation to the Arabian Travel Market (ATM) trade show in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The prestigious event takes place from April 25-28, and is the most important in the Arabian Peninsula for the sector, with around 26,000 attendees from 133 countries, and 2,800 exhibitors.

TCS president Elijah Bendobo said: “Attending the Arabian Travel Market has a crucial strategic value for promotion of the Costa del Sol as a destination for luxury tourism, which includes special offers for the elite, one of the segments which comprises the wide range of tourism in Malaga Province.”

Prior to the show, the promotional team visited Abu Dhabi where, as in Dubai, luxury tourism forms one of the backbones of the economy.

Luxury tourism is among the more robust tourism sectors, with around half a million elite visitors to Malaga each year each spending an average of €600 per day.

The Near East is one of the province’s principal markets, and Bendodo added: “This segment has an enormous potential for year-round tourism, besides maintaining its level in times of the greatest economic recession.”