MADRID, July 25 (Reuters) - The drop in tourists arriving in Spain 2009 will be no more than 10 percent, Industry and Tourism Minister Miguel Sebastian said on Saturday.
The international tourism sector is facing a 'complicated' situation, Sebastian said, noting that Britain's economic difficulties and the depreciation of the pound are the main reason behind the slump in arrivals.
The sector accounts for about 11 percent of Spain's GDP.
On Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the government had approved a new stimulus package for the tourism sector worth 1 billion euros ($1.42 billion).
'The decline in tourist arrivals at the end of 2009 will be no more than 10 percent,' Sebastian told representatives of business groups and trade unions from the tourism sector.
The number of tourists visiting Spain in the first-half fell 11.4 percent to 23.6 million, compared to a year ago, according to data released on Tuesday by the government.
The drop in foreign tourists will be partly offset by a rise in domestic tourism, which the government is forecasting at 4 percent this year, Sebastian said.
(Reporting by Judy MacInnes; editing by Alison Williams) ($1=.7043 Euro) Keywords: SPAIN TOURISTS/ (judith.macinnes@thomsonreuters.com; 34 91 585 8340; Reuters Messaging: judith.macinnes.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.
The international tourism sector is facing a 'complicated' situation, Sebastian said, noting that Britain's economic difficulties and the depreciation of the pound are the main reason behind the slump in arrivals.
The sector accounts for about 11 percent of Spain's GDP.
On Friday, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said the government had approved a new stimulus package for the tourism sector worth 1 billion euros ($1.42 billion).
'The decline in tourist arrivals at the end of 2009 will be no more than 10 percent,' Sebastian told representatives of business groups and trade unions from the tourism sector.
The number of tourists visiting Spain in the first-half fell 11.4 percent to 23.6 million, compared to a year ago, according to data released on Tuesday by the government.
The drop in foreign tourists will be partly offset by a rise in domestic tourism, which the government is forecasting at 4 percent this year, Sebastian said.
(Reporting by Judy MacInnes; editing by Alison Williams) ($1=.7043 Euro) Keywords: SPAIN TOURISTS/ (judith.macinnes@thomsonreuters.com; 34 91 585 8340; Reuters Messaging: judith.macinnes.reuters.com@reuters.net) COPYRIGHT Copyright Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. The copying, republication or redistribution of Reuters News Content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters.