MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Falklands tourism industry broke several records

“It is a great achievement to build on the growth achieved in 2017 when the 35th Anniversary was marked and there was a spike in arrivals,” Stephanie Middleton said

The Falkland Islands Tourist Board (FITB) has released its annual tourism statistics for 2018, which shows the tourism industry broke several records all in one year.

Overnight leisure tourists passed the 1,900 mark in 2018, spending £4.2 million, the most ever recorded.

Average spend per night of leisure tourists was £214, and on average they stayed 10.4 nights.

Executive Director of FITB, Stephanie Middleton said: It is a great achievement to build on the growth achieved in 2017 when the 35th Anniversary was marked and there was a spike in arrivals.

“We are also delighted to see expenditure of leisure tourists rise, in part due to them staying longer than in recent years.”

With cruise visitors reaching a record high of 62,505 arrivals, spending £4.1 million, which is also a record, it has certainly been a year of impressive figures.

Added to this the Falkland Islands Government Air Service carried more leisure visitors (3,039) than ever before over the six months of the 2018-2019 season, and the Jetty Centre welcomed a record 23,000 visitors in February 2019.

Mrs. Middleton added: The UK is still the largest market in terms of leisure visitor nights, with over 6,600 visiting in 2018, and Argentina on just over 4,000. We have seen a significant growth of arrivals in the shoulder months of April and September, and an increase in the average length of stay, both of which are key elements of our Tourism Development Strategy.

There has also been growth in visitors from our targeted Tactical Markets (South America) and Investment Markets (various European countries and Canada), which have also been a focus of FITB marketing activities over the last three years.” (Penguin News)