According to Spain's Ministryof Tourism, Russians spend 47% more in the country than any other tourists, informs
RIA.Tourism.
Last year, an average Russian tourist
in Spain
spent €159 a day, when people from other countries spent an average of €108 per
day. British tourists, for instance, part with €93 every day.
The overall tourist flow from Russia in 2012 amounted
to 1.2 million people, making the increase about 40%. Experts see several reasons
for this rush of demand: there are many direct flights available, the visa regime
is simplified, and uproars in Northern Africa are
scaring away many clients.
The increase of the Russian tourist flow
helped pack the hotels and balance the decrease of tourists from other countries
like Italy, Holland
and UK (main markets for Spain). Local people,
who were facing a record 26% unemployment rate, had to cut down on travelling as
well.
Yet Russia
wasn't the only one who showed an increase in the tourist flow: France (+16%, almost
9 million people) and Germany
(+7.4%, over 9.3 million people) were also in the green.
