Spain is getting a boost to its hugely important tourist industry as northern European sunseekers shun popular resorts in Egypt and Tunisia because of anti-government uprisings there.
The country has struggled in recent years to compete with beach destinations in Egypt's Red Sea and Tunisia's Mediterranean coast which are cheaper and of a similar flying distance from its key markets like Germany and Britain.
But since the unrest sweeping the Arab world began in Tunisia in early January, tourists have been changing their travel plans, and Spain, especially the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco, has been one of the main beneficiaries. The country received 2.66 million foreign tourists in January, a 4.7 percent increase over the same month last year and the first rise in 18 months, the industry and tourism ministry said last week.
The Canary Islands attracted the most tourists. It was the destination of choice for 866,476 foreign visitors last month, a jump of 8.8 percent.
"We have benefited in a way from the crisis in Egypt and Tunisia because it has diverted tourists from those countries, especially to the Canaries," Tourism Minister Miguel Sebastian said after the figures were released.