Holidaymaker arrivals to Spain’s Costa Blanca plummeted 60% in March, compared to last year

Holidaymaker arrivals to Spain’s Costa Blanca plummeted 60 per cent in March, compared to last year, and spending dropped 22 per cent as the coronavirus pandemic had an immediate impact on the tourism industry.

THE Institute of Statistics (INE) has today published data which shows international tourist arrivals dropped by 60.9 per cent in March in the Valencian Community, compared to the same month in 2019, after travel restrictions were enforced from the middle of the month to curb the spread of Covid-19.

The region, Spain’s fourth biggest destination community for international visitors, received 253,718 holidaymakers in March, who spent €254 million, revealed INE.

Of the tourists who spend their vacations on the Costa Blanca, 30.5 per cent are British and 17.1 per cent French, the two largest market nationalities.

Between January and March the average daily expenditure per tourist was €106 and the average duration of the trip was 9.4 days.