The president of the Diputación de Alicante, Toni Pérez, participated in the inaugural day of the World Travel Market (WTM) in London, where the Provincial Tourism Board has scheduled a series of meetings with industry operators to secure agreements aimed at increasing visitor numbers to the province, enhancing air connectivity, promoting golf tourism, and attracting significant events related to the industry.
Pérez announced that Benidorm will host the ‘Social Networking Event’ of the European Tourism Association (ETOA) in 2027, marking the first time this event will take place in the province. This gathering will focus on discussing the state of the sector and establishing local contacts.
Following a record year in 2026 for tourist arrivals to Costa Blanca, the autonomous body is working to reinforce its international positioning for the coming year. The series of meetings that Pérez will hold in the coming days, accompanied by the vice president of the Diputación, Ana Serna, the director of the Costa Blanca Board, José Mancebo, and sector representatives, aims to solidify established markets, such as the British and Eastern European markets, while also focusing on emerging ones.
As Pérez stated, “Costa Blanca approaches WTM with the goal of strengthening its position in international tourism distribution and translating the destination's strength into business opportunities for the sector.” He elaborated that the strategy combines “the consolidation of holiday tourism and our main markets with the opening of new marketing channels, the development of year-round activities, and the preparation of alliances and professional meetings for 2027.”
The meetings held during this first session of the fair “allow us to confirm the positive trend as we close out 2026 and anticipate a good start to 2027, despite the challenges posed by rising energy and fuel costs affecting air and tourism mobility,” Pérez noted, emphasising that the British market is the primary source of tourists to Costa Blanca and thus requires careful attention.
Under the umbrella of Turisme GVA, along with the Costa Blanca Tourism Board, municipalities including Benidorm, Alicante, Elche, Calpe, Altea, El Campello, and Teulada are participating in the fair. Pérez highlighted London’s significance due to its ability to gather decision-makers in contracting, flight programming, and travel marketing. “We will develop our own professional agenda, as well as shared meetings to ensure that this coordination allows us to jointly address the promotion of the destination, connectivity, and relationships with operators,” he added.
During the inaugural day, a minute of silence was observed at the Tour España booth for the tragic train accident in Urda (Toledo), attended by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez. Upcoming meetings include discussions with Jet2, loveholidays, On the Beach, Thomas Cook, and World2Meet, all associated with the holiday business. Concurrently, meetings with Czech Republic’s DER Touristik and Wizz Air will focus on opportunities in Central and Eastern Europe.
The agenda also includes contacts with French operator Karavel, platforms such as eDreams ODIGEO, Booking.com, and lastminute.com, as well as a meeting to discuss promotion in the Chinese market. A key working meeting at WTM London was held with ETOA at their booth, attended by Pérez and Mancebo, alongside ETOA's Spain representative, Jorge Traver, and General Director, Tim Fairhurst. This meeting aimed to advance details for the professional gathering that will take place in Costa Blanca, specifically in Benidorm, next year.
The ‘Social Networking Event’ will include informal sessions organised by ETOA to facilitate professional connections among tour operators, agencies, hotels, and European destinations in a relaxed environment, which is highly effective for consolidating alliances. This initiative is part of a strategy focused on strengthening the relationship between the destination and the tourism industry, bringing the provincial offer closer to the network of operators, intermediaries, and suppliers linked to the association.
The format, dates, and scope of the proposal for Costa Blanca will be finalised with the association. From January to September 2026, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport recorded 5.4 million passengers on flights to and from the UK, representing a 6.1% year-on-year increase. For this winter, more than 1.2 million seats are scheduled from 23 British airports, with 6,000 flights planned. According to the head of the Provincial Tourism Board and the Diputación, this represents a solid foundation for working with companies and operators to maintain tourist activity throughout the year.
Six of the ten airports with the highest traffic to the Alicante terminal are in the UK, specifically Manchester, London-Gatwick, London-Stansted, Bristol, Birmingham, and London-Luton. The latest report from Turisme Comunitat Valenciana indicates that the UK remains the leading international source market for tourists to the Valencian Community, with a total of 3,029,892 visitors in 2025. Costa Blanca is the focal point for this market, as 89.4% of British tourists visiting the region choose Alicante province as their destination, with Benidorm attracting 49.7% of them.
Finally, Pérez stated that the participation of the Provincial Tourism Board at WTM London “combines the maintenance of holiday partners, the exploration of opportunities in other markets, and the preparation of professional meetings for 2027,” while also emphasising that golf “is a key focus within the promotional strategy, in collaboration with Turisme Comunitat Valenciana and the sector association.”
