Costa del Sol Tourist Board

At the end of October, the number of travellers who arrived to the Costa del Sol this year by train, plane or ship had grown 10 percent in comparison with 2002
Between January and October 2003, a total of 5,504,400 visitors arrived in the province of Málaga. This figure includes entries at the airport, harbour, and train station. The number represents a 10 percent increase over the amount of visitors registered for the same period last year (4,991,892 visitors).

That means, in 2003 the province already received over a half million visitors more than last year, without counting those who arrived in Málaga by car.

According to data from the Port Authority, 160,068 travellers have arrived on cruise ships: this represents 25.13 percent more than last year for the same period. According to AENA, there has also been an important increase of visitors arriving by plane: at the end of October, 5,025,449 had flown into Málaga, 10.81 percent more than in 2002. Of these travellers, 3,840,024 came from the European Union (an 11.45 percent increase in comparison to last year), and 1,095,205 from other parts of Spain (17.79 percent more than in 2002). In terms of countries outside the EU, 90,220 entries were registered, a 10.81 percent decrease with respect to 2002.

When dividing these travellers by nationalities, the countries where an increasing number of tourists choose the Costa del Sol include Spain (18.29 percent), the United Kingdom (16.29 percent), and Ireland (15.96 percent). According to entries registered at AENA, the country that has sent a significantly less number of tourists is Switzerland, with a 15.5 percent drop so far this year.

The number of travellers who arrived on the TALGO 200 (the train that joins Málaga and Madrid) between January and October of this year has fallen 3 percent, if we compare these figures with those registered in 2002.