Travel internet sites in Europe have reported a surge of tourists heading for Spain and the Spanish islands for holidays and short breaks for the coming months - and this even extended earlier in the year to Spain's ski areas.
Many people are surprised to learn that Spain has ski areas, but when looked at on a map the less well known tourist areas, away from the coastal regions, include the Pyrenees, bordering ski country Andorra.
Spain's most successful ski resorts are in the Pyrenees, and they did well with tourists taking a ski holiday for the 2007/8 season with good snow from December through to April.
Another area of Spain good for ski holidays is the Sierra Nevada area, not far from the Costa del Sol, and despite the usually sunny climate of the Sierra Nevada, it has hosted the World Alpine Ski Championships.
Other popular ski holiday spots in Spain include:
* Baqueira-Beret
* Boi-Taull
* La Molina
* Astun
* Candanchu
* Cerler
* Formigal
* Panticosa
The most recent predictions of a great ski season for later this year and the 2008/9 ski holidays season are based mainly on Spain's rise in tourism in the 2007 summer months.
Some popular holiday spots in Spain received as many as 560 per cent more tourists as the previous year. The Canary Island of Tenerife (176 per cent rise), Gran Canaria (244 per cent rise) and Lanzarote (120% rise) base most of their economic growth on tourism. Their dedication to holidaymakers has more than paid off.
Other areas of Spain that saw a significant rise in tourism include:
* Fuerteventura at 560 per cent
* Benidorm at 213 per cent
* The Malaga Province 329 per cent
The Algarve, Madeira, Marrakech and Sharm el Sheikh also report rises in tourism last summer and look forward to a good 2008 summer holidays season.
The Canary Islands are currently hosting the 24th Annual Music Festival of the Canaries. This additional boost in tourism will greatly benefit the tourism activities promoted on the Canary Islands.
A very popular holiday destination for Brits in the summer of 2007 was Menorca and sure to do well for 2008.
Menorca is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean, to the southeast of the Spanish mainland.
Menorca is well known as a smaller, much more private holiday spot than neighbouring Majorca. Majorca is much more densely populated than Menorca with many celebrities owning homes there such as Michael Douglas and wife Catherine Zeta Jones and Antonio Banderas.
Both Majorca and Menorca have a lot to offer their annual visitors. Where Majorca offers a bustling night life, white beaches and celebrities, Menorca provides more privacy, quiet coves and shaded areas.
No matter what time of year you plan your holiday, Spain has something to offer. Her islands offer summertime fun, diving, boating and other water sports. The Mediterranean is home to a whole new underwater world. Divers from around the world enjoy diving off Menorca, Majorca and the Canary Islands. Many of the island resorts offer fun for the entire family and special organised kids' fun clubs during the day.
Due to Spain having the second highest altitude in Europe, more and more tourists see the country as the perfect holiday destination for those who enjoy winter sports such as skiing or snowboarding as well as the traditional summer holidays time. With a a wide selection of ski resorts in the Pyrenees, Sierra Nevada and the Cantabrian Mountains Spain could see her tourism numbers still further in the years ahead.
