Murcia tourism hits five-year high

45.5 per cent more foreign tourists visited the Spanish region of Murcia in the first five months of 2014 compared to the same period last year. This is the highest official figure since 2009 and British visitors account for almost half.

Chris Mercer, Director of estate agent Mercers which has been established in Murcia 20 years, says: “As a region, Murcia is not a big-hitter in tourism terms, dwarfed by the likes of Catalunya and the Balearics in sheer volume, but there are encouraging signs that it could be moving up through the ranks. The fact is Murcia and the Costa Calida have been rather unknown, even among Spaniards, but with talk of the Paramount Theme Park and general increased publicity, awareness is being raised. It has attractive villages, a beautiful coastline, historic cities such as Cartagena, Lorca and the capital Murcia, and one of the best year-round climates in Spain. It's also far more affordable thanks to its rather inconspicuous nature.”

According to Frontur, Spain's Institute of Tourism Studies, a total of 266,311 foreign tourists visited Murcia between January and May this year, 83,220 more than the same five months in 2013 – a 45.5 per cent increase. The UK is the main source country contributing 49.2 per cent of the total - a huge 57 per cent increase over 2013.  French visitors come in second place with an 11.7 per cent share, up 15.7 per cent on last year. In third are the Nordic countries, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden, with a 10.6 per cent share, again up a significant 48.7 per cent over 2013.  

Taking May in isolation, the increase of foreign visitors to the Region was even more incredible at 60 per cent, far higher than Spain's main tourist hotspots with the Canaries only receiving 12.9 per cent more, Catalunya 2.3 per cent and the Balearics 1.2 per cent.

Expenditure is also up with foreign visitors splurging 259.5 million euros in Murcia from January to May, up 38.8 per cent on the same period in 2013. This is far higher than the national average increase of 9.1 per cent. Brits make up 47 per cent of the spending, with many of them owning second homes in the Region.      
Spain, as a whole, has recorded 21,435,167 international tourists for the first five months of 2014, up 8.2 per cent on 2013, with the nation braced for yet another record-breaking year for tourism.