Catalonia remains the most popular Spanish region among Russian
tourists. Around 750 thousand of them spent their vacation there. This is about
70% of the total number of Russian visitors in Spain. These figures were brought
to light by the Head of Catalonia Tourist Board Ms. Marian Muro at a
press-conference held during the MITT-2013 trade fair in Moscow. This year, she says, Catalonia hopes to welcome the millionth tourist from Russia.
Ms.
Muro sees at least two reasons for further growth of the tourist flow: a
significant increase in the number of flights on the destination, and the
facilitation of the visa regime. With reference to Spanish consulate service in
Russia,
she revealed that it intends to issue 2-year multivisas to Russian applicants.
All you need to get a "long" entry permit is any stamped Schengen
visa issued within the last six months. Some estimations show that the share of
2-year visas can reach 12% of the total number.
"First
of all, we expect the easing of application procedure to encourage FITs to come
to Spain
more than once. This type of visitors may come to the region's Capital, Barcelona, for short-term
weekend city breaks," Mariam Muro elaborates. As of today, she says, 80%
of Russians book their trips to local resorts through tour operators.
As
for the second reason for the tourist flow growth outlined by the expert - the
increase in air transportation, the number of Catalonia-bound flights from Russia reached
200 per week. In contrast, just two years ago there were not more than 100 of
them. She also revealed intentions of Vueling, Spanish low-cost air carrier.
This year, the airline is going to offer year-round service to Russia – up to
four daily flights. This is 80% more than last year. Vueling's flight schedule
from Saint Petersburg
will be covering the period from April to October, as opposed to June-September
in 2012. The Spanish carrier will be flying to Russia's northern capital from two
to four times every day.
Surprisingly
enough, the Russians, who are known to throw away handfuls of money when
travelling, cede the leading position to the Kazakhs, reports the Catalonia
Tourist Board. Thus, average daily expenses of Russian visitors amount to €150,
while tourists from Kazakhstan
spend €170 a day. In addition to that, the Kazakhs are also leading in terms of
duration of stay – 15 days against 12. However, in total numbers Russia's closest neighbors are far behind, as
the flow of tourists to Catalonia from Kazakhstan, Ukraine
and Belorussia
combined doesn't exceed 300 thousand people.
