The Tourism and External Andalusia Councilor, Arturo Bernal, has highlighted the impact of the German market on Andalusia, one of the main global emitters and traditional for the region, due to its contribution to reducing seasonality and its spending capacity, with an expenditure of over 1.6 billion euros in 2024.
Bernal, on the opening day of the International Tourism Exchange (ITB) in Berlin, emphasized that the increase in the number of German travelers received, with 1.15 million, 10.3% more, «is widely surpassed by the increase in spending in Andalusia.» Thus, the 1.6 billion reached last year by the expenditure of these country’s tourists in the community represent about 300 million euros more than in 2023, with a 23% increase, and nearly 450 million more than in 2019, a 38% rise. He has stated that this emitter «maintains the general trend of the destination in which we are working both in origin and in the Andalusian offer, focusing tourism growth on economic impact and improving benefits for the Andalusian territory and its citizens.»
The councilor has pointed out that the contribution of this emitter «is not limited only to the number of visitors and their spending, but also presents other intangibles such as their distribution throughout the year.» Thus, he noted that their preferred months to stay in the region are «September and October, thus extending the high season to months with lower overall activity compared to the central summer months.» He has, however, considered that Andalusia «has the opportunity to advance its market share in the country as a whole,» since the community, «is a consolidated destination for Germans, the fourth option in Spain after the islands and Catalonia, but the numbers indicate that this position, while privileged, is highly conditioned by accessibility.»
Companies offered 1.4 million seats on flights to Andalusia last year, an 18.5% increase over 2023, the largest increase among the main Spanish tourist communities and «a sign that the strategy to attract new routes, from the connectivity tables, is bearing fruit.» In this regard, he argued that the figures «show that there is demand from this market and that the interest in the destination is responding to the growth offered by airlines.» In fact, last year arrivals from German airports to Andalusia reached 1.3 million, 16.6% more than in 2023.
8% more air seats in the first semester
This year continues the upward trend, with a 7.9% increase in the number of flights during the first semester and an 8% increase in seats. Thus, he has set as a goal «to attract new air connections and convey to companies that opening a route to Andalusia is a guarantee of profitability.» To continue strengthening connectivity across the network of Andalusian airports, contact with companies operating in this market will be intensified, with meetings during the ITB with several airlines, as well as with operators who can offer the destination through charter flights.
In addition to participation in the Berlin event, the action plan for Germany includes around twenty specific actions during this year, with an investment close to 1.5 million euros and a 23% increase compared to the previous year. Among the planned initiatives are hosting the German Travel Agencies Association DRV congress in the community, participating in the specialized Eurobike cycling tourism fair, and the prominent presence of this market in the thematic forums that the destination will host, focused on sustainability, premium offerings, active tourism, and nature.
Bernal has explained that the German «is a tourist profile seeking authentic, sustainable, and quality experiences, to whom we must show that Andalusia is evolving in its offerings to become their tourist reference, adapted to their needs and expectations.» To attract a younger audience and consolidate regular visitors, segments that generate a constant flow of travelers, such as the cultural, golf, and sports or premium sectors, will be promoted, an offering that will be a fundamental part of the contact agenda with intermediaries during the fair, where the Andalusian delegation will be accompanied by 60 companies in the workspace.