Page 105 - economic report 2019

3. Tourism

According to the official GDP figures, the The number of visitors fell 1.1% due
hotels and catering sector represents 8.5% of to fewer same-day visitors.
Andorran GVA (2018). However, the indirect
impact of tourism on the whole economy
is higher, as it strongly influences other sectors, such as commerce and leisure and sporting
activities, which greatly depend on visitors. This means that the favourable trend in tourism that
has been seen since 2013 was fundamental to explaining the improvement in Andorra’s economic
situation. The sustained growth in the sector over recent years was the result, on the one hand,
of the overall improvement in surrounding countries – basically Spain and France - and, on the
other hand, new tourist attractions that were promoted by both the public and private sectors to
win over an ever more demanding clientele looking for new experiences.

The 2019 annual balance for the tourism sector is quite modest because the total number of
visitors saw an annual reduction of 1.1% in 2019, after five years of increase. However, this
slightly decline is only the result of falling numbers of same-day visitors (-2.7%), as the number of
tourists increased 1.6%. All in all, the total number of visitors shrank to 8,234,993, far from the
8.5 million received by Andorra in 2010 and even further from the 11 million that visited before
the 2008 economic crisis.

So, in contrast with 2018, there was a decline in
TREND IN TOURISTS 2012-2019
numbers of same-day visitors, who only spend (Number)
the day without staying the night, whereas Chart 12.5
entries of tourists, who spend at least one 103
night, continued to rise and saw an increase of 3,200,000 3,042,370 3,090,044
1.6%, reaching the figure of 3,090,044 visitors 3,002,860
in this category. This variation is similar to that 3,000,000 2,818,875
of the previous year (1.3%) and shows a major 2,800,000 2,663,341
slowdown compared with the years 2013- 2,600,000 2,363,436
2017, a period when annual average growth 2,400,000 2,237,939 2,328,124
was 6.1%.
2,200,000
In 2019, the number of French and 2,000,000 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019
Spanish tourists increased moderately. Source: Department of Statistics.

By nationalities, there was a general decrease in visitors from both France (-2.3%) and Spain
(-1.0%), which can be explained by the decline in same-day visitors from both countries. In
contrast, there was an increase in the numbers of visitors of other nationalities, even though this
group is only a small proportion (9% of total visitors). Spain is still the main country of origin of
visitors, with 50% of the total, followed by France, representing 41%.

As for tourists, the trend was positive but moderate in the case of the French (1.0%) and the The Andorran economy: developments in the main sectors | XII. Services
Spanish (1.5%). Spanish tourists are still easily the majority, representing 71% of the total, while
the French are 16%, and other nationalities the other 13%. In contrast, in the case of same-day
visitors, the French are the majority (56%). The French market is characterised by a remarkably
high level of seasonality, with a predominance of same-day visitors who visit in the summer,
especially August. In contrast, the behaviour of Spanish visitors is clearly different as there is a
notably high influx in August, but at levels that are comparable to other times of the year, such as
the skiing months and, secondly, Easter Week.