Yeah,and pigs will fly? Do you think that any country where its currency is linked to the Euro is going to actually see an INCREASE in tourist numbers THIS YEAR if the EXCHANGE RATE continues as it is? There are record numbers of house repossessions in the UK at this time and British people are currently being hit from all sides with increases in Electricity/Gas/Mortgages/Basic Food Prices/Fuel/and many other things and the last thing many of them can afford or even think about are holidays, so I don't believe these figures for a minute!

Patrick it didn't stop over 40,000 football fans spending £1000 each and more for one night in Moscow! You could have a good holiday in Spain for that sort of money.
Maybe not everybody is feeling the pinch as badly as it is being made out, or the fall will come later in the year.

If Andalucia wants to see an increase in Tourism it has a massive hill to climb .If you spend a day on a beach here it is now no less expensive than a UK beach day out( yes i accept the weather).The Beach bars resteraunts are ripping the backside out of prices.3 Euros for a coffee in one Torremolinos bar!Take a family of 5 to the Water Par, you need a mortgage!! There is a saying dont kill the goose which laid the golden egg.I fear they will,they sit and look at the empty tables and cant understand why only a very few sit down. The coastal resorts of Spain are not the quality of the south of France or Italy, yet you are expected to pay high prices,for inferior suroundings, service and food.I also fear the 2.5 % decrease is not correct take the amount of expats ,families and friends out of the equasion and they would be staggered at the true drop in figuers.Inland Spain is the future untill the costas can be sorted. Yet again they are determined to ruin these wonderful natural areas .In one village in the Sierra de las Neives Reserve of the Biosphere What are they planning to open? A Quarry slap bang in full view of the entrance to the village where they have built Rural Hotels and are planning a golf course.There is no joined up plan spending millions of euros cleaning up one or two areas is not the answer. Stop development of unspoilt areas and improve infrastructure and access to amenities. already there.Choose in keeping low impact tourism and promote it.Then start at the airport .It is being revamped and i congratulate the companies for keeping the airport working through this disruption. Work down the coast from Los Alamos not more of the same,new ideas.clean, open. inovative,Go and look elsewhere in Europe and see what is being done.Ifyou want the return of the Bucket and spade families you will have to do something about the Euro they can not afford the exchange rate and can do nothing to convince their Government to join