Tourist spending in the Pitiusas amounted to 728.3 million euros until July, 510 million more than in the same period of 2020, representing an increase of 234%. But that significant recovery was not enough to reach the pre-crisis level, as it is 997 million euros less than in 2019. It is almost 58% of the expenditure generated when pandemics were only talked about in science fiction films (b series).
The specific expenditure in the month of July, according to the latest data available (in this case provided by the Balearic Institute of Statistics, Ibestat), reached 436.7 million euros, 266.6 million more ( 156.7%) than that recorded by Egatur (the tourist expenditure survey) in 2020. But it is 270.5 million less (-38%) than in 2019.
It is striking that of the expenditure in July, only that of the Spaniards exceeded the barrier of the pre-pandemic period. Our compatriots spent almost 100 million euros on their trips to Ibiza and Formentera, 58 million more than in 2020 and 27.6 million more than in 2019. This positive balance is not repeated in the case of foreign outbound markets, which totaled 337 million euros of expenditure in July, which although 208 million more than a year earlier, are still far (300 million away) from the figures of 2019.
Particularly noticeable in these accounts are the barriers put up by the UK to its citizens travelling to the islands (partially lifted in August): our main market to 2019 only turned over 82 million, 107 less than in the same month two years earlier… but 50 more than in 2020.
That remarkable disbursement of national tourism has an explanation: 173,588 Spanish nationals visited us, about 107,000 more than in 2020 and 72,000 more than in 2019, that is a 72% increase. Spaniards discovered the Pitiusas this summer. Italians, however, came in July 46,142, less than half that in 2019 (96,455); British, 75,336 (68,000 less), Germans, 32,000 (-14,000), and Dutch and Belgians, 54,700 (-6,000).
574 euros each Spaniard
The economic footprint left by Spaniards this summer could have been even greater if they had had more money. There was a desire to let loose, to recover the time we were confined and go on holiday, but the pockets are by far not so full as in 2019. In July, each Spaniard spent an average of 574 euros on their trip, about 50 euros less (-8%) than in 2020 and 137 euros less than in 2019.
However, the daily expenditure of Spaniards was 94 euros, five more than 12 months earlier ( 5%) and 21 less than in 2019. Hence, only the flood of tourists from our country contibuted (by quantity, not quality) to the increase in expenditure of two years ago, as even their average stay was reduced, which went from 6.2 days in 2019 to seven a year later and 6.1 this year.
It would also have been a much higher expenditure if that increase in travelers had starred the British or Germans. Tourists from the United Kingdom, for example, disbursed on their holidays 1,092 euros on average, almost twice as much as the Spanish, although in 2019 it was even higher: 1,321 euros. And those from Germany left 1,216 euros, 213 euros more than in 2020 (no data for 2019) and about 640 euros more than those from our country.
Tourists from the United Kingdom outlaid 1,092 euros on average
on their holidays, almost twice as much as the Spanish
It should be noted that a tourist from the United Kingdom spent 187 euros on average daily, twice as much as the Spanish; the Germans, 177 euros. The average for foreign travellers is almost 203 euros per day.
For the full article, please visit Diario de Ibiza website here.