Summer tourist figures up by 9 per cent in Lorca

British visitors push the number of foreign visitors to Lorca up to almost 5,000 during the summer alone

Now that the summer is officially over the tourism authorities in Lorca have announced that the three main tourism offices in and around the city welcomed a total of 15,331 visitors during the season, an increase of 9 per cent over the figure for the previous year.

30 per cent of all visitors were non-Spaniards i.e. almost 5,000, a rise of 8 per cent), the leading nationality being the British, and it is reported that their main interests were the cultural attractions and the monuments and museums of the historic city. There was also a notable increase in the numbers of Austrian, Swiss and Dutch visitors, despite there being no direct flights between Corvera airport and their home countries.

It is also reported that over half of all enquiries were made at the most iconic monument in Lorca, the castle, the others being accounted for by the La Merced visitors centre and the tourist office in the Plaza de España.

At a national level tourists came from all parts of Spain, but it is notable that 10 per cent of them were from Lorca itself, indicating an increased interest among locals in their historical and cultural heritage. Another 10 per cent were from elsewhere in the Region of Murcia, while the most important source of visitors was Madrid.

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