After several years of rising number of Russian tourists to Spain, the number fell by more than a third last year 2014.
2013 was the 31.6 percent more Russian tourists to Spain, but the increase was quickly turned into a sharp decline. In September 2014 the number decreased by 19.5 percent in October by 23 percent and the final months of the year, with the entire 32.6 percent.
The reason for the decline is primarily a substantial weakening of the Russian ruble against the euro and the dollar. During the first eleven months registered 1.38 million Russian tourists, against 1.58 million for the whole of 2013.
The Russian market represents only 2.6 percent of the total number of tourists in Spain, which now exceeds 60 million tourists in 2014. In 2014, all foreign markets have risen up, with the exception of the Russian markets.
Chairman of the Association of Spanish travel agents, Rafael Gallego, said that the weakening of the ruble is behind the decline, the political crisis in Ukraine and the economic difficulties in Russia are the causes of the decline.
The ruble has in the past year decreased by 60 percent, and it makes it much more expensive for the Russians to travel abroad. The Russian economy has gone down by 30 percent, and it makes the Russians to save on vacation budget.
- The Russians traveling rather to countries that are closer, and with greater cultural and historical ties, such as Turkey, says Gallego, who predicts that the crisis on the Russian market is not solved in the short term.
The decrease in the number of Russian tourists can lead to a significant decline in revenues for the summer, and many real estate agents had placed their trust on year growth of Russian buyers’ property Marbella market.
Both Catalonia and Valencia – and to some extent also the Costa de Sol – has in recent years been living high on the Russian tourists, who along with a growing number of Chinese and Japanese tourists have sustained trade and turnovers in the tourist areas.
- Next summer will be harder than before, with emphasis Gallego, however, predicts that the Russian upper class still afford to travel, while the crisis is affecting increasingly middle class.
It is expected that in the coming year 2015 a total of 64 million tourists to Spain, which would be the highest figure ever in Spain’s history.
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