| Ibiza 2012 Season A Good One. |
Official tourist figures released in Ibiza for the first eight months of 2012, show only a small decrease of 0.36%, on corresponding figures from 2011. The small Island continues to ride out the recession, with strong results for the months of July and August in particular. After a decline in 2011, English tourists passing through Ibiza Airport, registered a 5% growth in 2012, which helped it overtake the Spanish, as the Islands largest market. The worst affected market was the Italian one, which showed a 10.5% drop on its strong performance in 2011, when it displaced the Germans from the Top Three nationalities holidaying in Ibiza.
Fears that the recession hit Italian market would have the same effect on the Spanish market, proved unfounded, as the amount of visitors from Spain remained unchanged, making it the second largest group on the Island. German visitors to Ibiza continued their decline, with a further 9.9% drop on its poor 2011 performance. The Swiss registered the biggest growth, with a 36% increase, and the Dutch continue to favour Ibiza, with an impressive 16% growth on its strong performance in 2011. Other Nationalities to show a growth were the French (+5.6%) and the Russians, who added 1200 visitors to the 2800 that holidayed on the Island in 2011.
The Russians are the new big spending market on the Island. While they may lack in quantity, the make up for it in quality, as they continue to favour the VIP market. Locals are now looking to Russia for investment in its top end VIP sector and it seems the Russians like the product that Ibiza provides. While the figures are a rough guide to the current health of the Ibiza Tourism Industry, they do not reflect the number of tourists who arrive on the Island by boat or by private means. It is estimated that a further 30% can be added to the final statistics released by the Airport body AENA (Aeropuertos Españoles y Navegación Aérea).
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