Foreign tourists coming to the Balearics spent 8´520 million euros during 2005, a rise of 1.9 percent

Joan Collins LAST year foreign tourists to the Balearics spent a total of 8'520 million euros, 1.9 percent more than in 2004, with the average amount spent per tourist being 913 euros (0.7 percent more). However, the average daily amount spent was 90 euros which was 2.3 percent less than in 2004. In December foreign tourists spent 125 million euros in the islands, which was 13.4 percent less than in December 2004, a fall which was reflected in the average amount spent per visitor which was 895 euros, 12.1 percent less than 2004. The fall in the daily average amount spent per tourist was moderate (4.6 percent) at 69 euros. The total spent by foreign tourists in Spain was 46'060 million euros in 2005, which was a rise of 4.3 percent on 2004 according to the Poll of Tourist Spending (EGATUR) which was done by the Institute of Tourist Studies which is part of the national Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce. The poll confirms the figures released by the Secretary of State for Tourism and Commerce, Pedro Mejia, on January 20. The rise in total spending last year was mainly due to the rise of 6.4 percent in the number or tourists, which reached 53.84 million, but the average amount spent per tourist was 855 euros, some 2 percent less than in 2004. The daily average amount spent by tourists in 2005 was 85 euros, 4.6 percent more than in 2004. Tourists coming from the countries which send most tourists to Spain spent a daily average amount above the total average, with the exceptions of Holland and France. Italy, Switzerland, Portugal and the Nordic countries were the countries with the greatest growth, both in the number of tourists and the average amount they spent daily above the total average. The total spent by tourists in 2005 rose in all leading Spanish destinations with the exception of Andalucia which was 0.1 percent less than in 2004. The average amount spent by tourists in the main autonomous regions fell in 2005, except in the Canaries and the Balearics which had increments of 4 and 0.7 percent respectively because of the fall in the average stay. Total tourist spending rose for the tourists from the countries which send most tourists to Spain. The most significant growth was France (12 percent), followed by Holland (7.9 percent), Germany (5.7 percent), Italy (2.9 percent) and Great Britain (2.2 percent). The total amount spent by tourists who came by air grew by 5.2 percent, while the amount spent by those who came by road fell by 1.5 percent. By type of accommodation, the amount spent by tourists who stayed in hotels rose by 3.7 percent in 2005 while the amount spent by those who stayed in holiday homes, rented flats or other types of accommodation rose by 5.4 percent. As for the type of holiday, those tourists who did not take package holidays spent more in 2005 than in 2004, while tourists on package holidays spent 8.4 percent less, because more and more tourists are not taking this type of holiday. The average amount spent fell by 3.7 percent (to 861 euros) as did the average stay (10 days).