January numbers are 13.5 percent down on last year.  Hotels in Alicante have 2,800 empty rooms every day because of the current lack of clients. The latest data for January shows an average occupancy level of 31%, nearly 13.5% down on last year at the same time.

Spain is the world’s second most popular tourist destination after France, with almost half its 60 million visitors coming from Britain and Germany. The sliding value of the pound against the euro will exacerbate the problem by deterring holidaymakers.

The low numbers come despite heavy discounting by the industry with the possibility of reserving a double room in a four star hotel in the city for just 60 €. Most popular part of the province was Benidorm which reached 50% occupancy, and Elche had 40%, but in Playa de San Juan only 19% was recorded.  The situation is further worsened by a lack of events or work conferences.  

According to the Financial Times, last year Spain’s €40 billion ($52 billion) tourism industry received 57.4 million visitors, down 1.8 million on 2007. Tourism’s share of GDP is predicted to fall from 11 to 10 percent, with the loss of 100,000 jobs in a sector that also employs 1.8 million people.