The Costa Daurada in Spain is this year expecting to exceed its record number of 19.7 million overnight stays recorded in 2006, according to The Federation of Hostelry and Tourism in Tarragona (FEHT).

The FEHT is predicting that hotel occupancy rates in the Costa Daurada will also reach 90% during the peak summer season in 2017, while they are also expecting a high number of visitors to campsites and apartments during the peak summer season, with an occupancy rate of more than 85%.

From January to June 2017, overnight stays in the coastal towns of Salou, Cambrils and Vila-seca, La Pineda increased by 7%, according to the Science and Technology Park for Tourism and Leisure of Catalonia.

The Costa Daurada Tourism Board estimates that Reus airport will achieve an estimated 29% increase in activity throughout 2017.

Marta Alvarez, managing director of the FEHT said: “It is a very exciting time for tourism in the Costa Daurada. British and Irish markets are expected to grow in 2017, supported by new attractions such as the incredible Ferrari Land, increased flight capacity and significant investment into the hotel and campsite facilities. We've already achieved very positive tourist statistics and it looks like 2017 will be our most popular year for overnight tourist stays in over a decade.

“We also believe that sports tourism has been an important contributing factor to increasing visitor numbers, which has helped the destination move away from the last-minute bookings market.”

Sports events hosted in the region this year include the Mare Nostrum Cup, TGN Basketball Tournament, Mundialito, the Costa Daurada International Football Tournament and the sixth edition of World Dancesport.

These positive figures have also been supported by investment into the local accommodation ahead of the summer season; a total of nearly €50 million was invested in hotels in the region, while a further €40 million was used to renovate campsites.

In 2016, the Costa Daurada received 19,684,445 overnight stays with 2,364,000 from the UK (an increase of 25.8% on 2015) and 615,000 from Ireland (an increase of 19.5% on 2015), according to the Science and Technology Park for Tourism and Leisure of Catalonia.

More information on visiting the Costa Daurada can be found here - www.costadaurada.info.

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About The Federation of Hostelry and Tourism in Tarragona (FEHT)

The FEHT is a federation that represents the whole tourism sector in the province of Tarragona. It is the umbrella organisation for: the Association of Campsites in Costa Daurada and Terres de l'Ebre, the Association of Tourist Apartments in Costa Daurada, the Hotel Business Association of Tarragona, the Association of Hotels in Tarragona, the Association of Hotels in Salou, Cambrils, La Pineda, the Association of Incoming Agencies of Costa Daurada, and PortAventura.

The FEHT, the Tourist Board of Tarragona, Costa Daurada, and Tourism Board of Salou, Cambrils and Vila-seca La Pineda work together to promote tourism in the region as well as its accommodation offers.