Malaga looks to attract Chinese tourists

According to a study by La Caixa, within 10 years, 25% of tourists will be from China.

With this in mind, the Costa del Sol is looking towards the Asian country to attract potential clients.

In the first three months of this year, 2,529 Chinese tourists visited Malaga city, 62% more than in the same period of 2013.

Since 2012, China has been the country which spends most on tourism in the world, with a total of $102 billion, but while other visitors are looking for sun and sand, the Chinese mainly want culture and history, which means that the Malaga-Costa del Sol Tourism Board will have to promote this sector if they want to be amongst the favourite destinations for China.

Campaigns to promote the area are currently being carried out a major tourism fairs, keeping in mind that visitors from China are also very keen on shopping, especially for luxury products.

Meetings are also being held with the major airlines operating from China.

Although only 3% of Chinese tourists travel to Europe, their favourite destination in Andalucia is Malaga.

Meanwhile, the Russians are also becoming regulars on the Costa del Sol, with almost 50,000 visiting the province last year, 14.2% more than in 2012.

Although the Russians head to Marbella and the surrounding area, much remains to be done to reach the levels seen in areas such as Cataluña.