Valencia Tourism plans winter strategy to attract British visitors to the region
The British market has seen an 18.7% growth in arrivals and 33% of its tourist spending in the Comunidad Valenciana in 2024
The Generalitat Valenciana is planning a seasonal strategy aimed at its primary foreign market, the United Kingdom, with an eye on the expected growth of the British market visiting the Comunidad Valenciana during the forthcoming winter season and the opening up of the airports of Valencia and Castellón to British tour operators.
The Minister for Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, Nuria Montes, travelled to Leeds to meet with the management team of tour operator Jet2holidays whose airline has positioned itself as one of the most important in the country. During 2023, it transported more than one million passengers to the Comunidad Valencian, generating more than 200 million euros of the region’s GDP.
After the meeting, the minister said that “Jet2holidays wants to continue expanding its operations with the opening of the Valencia and Castellón bases, which will join the Alicante base, to which already offers 11 connections.” She added that “both airports are already in our sights to be able to grow our collaboration with Jet2holidays and expand its business portfolio to the entire territory of the Comunidad Valenciana.”
Montes also explained that “Jet2 generates more than 1,500 direct and indirect jobs in the Comunidad Valenciana”, adding that the Alicante base, which has already been open for 20 years, “will continue to be crucial for the company’s operations, especially for its holiday routes to destinations on the Costa Blanca”.
About Jet2holidays
Jet2holidays is a low-cost airline and tour operator founded in 2002 in Leeds which is focused on offering flights and holiday packages at competitive prices. It has a fleet of more than 100 aircraft and operates more than 200 routes from ten bases in the United Kingdom to tourist destinations in Europe, including Spain, Portugal, Greece and Turkey.
In Spain, it operates in the main tourist airports in the country, including Alicante, which currently offers 11 air connections to the United Kingdom, with 55 flights and approximately 8,250 seats. It is worth noting that the company has registered a notable growth in Spain, with an increase in the number of seats offered this summer of 10%, and with more than 360,000 seats offered above last season.
British Tourism and the Comunidad Valenciana
According to the results of the first half of the year from the Statistics on Tourist Movements at the Border and the FRONTUR-EGATUR Tourist Expenditure Survey of the INE, the United Kingdom continues to be the most important international market for the Comunidad Valenciana, with the arrival of 1,419,811 Britons up to June, 18.7% more than in 2023.
In addition, it is the market that has contributed the most to the increase in accumulated foreign spending in the Comunidad Valenciana, disbursing 1,578 million euros during the first six months of the year, 33% more than in the same half of the previous year.
