Bumper year

WITH COVID-19 restrictions now a distant memory, the tourism sector in Spain is enjoying a bumper 2023.

According to figures from the National Statistics Institute (INE), hotel stays were up 21% on the year before to 80.9 million during the first four months of the year.

This exceeded the level seen in 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

The INE figures show that there were 28 million hotel stays in Spain in April, which is an 11.5% rise on the year before.

Equitable Slice Of The Pie

was first announced by Socialist Party Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in March, ahead of International Women’s Day. Ministers have now announced further details that had been approved, which will affect panels in the judiciary, such as the Constitutional Court, the Audit Court and the CGPJ legal watchdog. These bodies will also have to ensure that women account for at least 40% of members.

Another of the modifications announced include a more flexible timetable to introduce the changes in the workforce.

Companies listed on Spain’s Ibex 35 stock exchange, for example, will have to have a minimum of 40% female board members by June 2024.

“With this law we are taking a major step toward effective equality without establishing disproportionate demands on large companies,” said Economy Minister Nadia Calviño.

For January to April of this year, there were a total of 80.9 million hotel stays.

Foreign

The major increase was thanks to foreign visits, which were up 16% in April compared to the year before for a total of 17.3 million.

The INE also reported that the preferred destinations for foreign visitors were the Canary and Balearic Islands as well as Catalunya, while the domestic market preferred Andalucia, Catalunya and the Valencia region.