LuxairTours has started including the Costa de Almeria in southern Spain on their summer destinations 2016.

On a press familiarisation trip to the destination on 2 June, LuxairTours' Justin Striby explained at a press conference held at Roquestas de Mar that flights are three times weekly: Thursdays from 31 March to 27 October; Saturdays from 14 May to 8 October; and Wednesdays from 14 May to 8 October.

He also explained that after landing in Almeria from Luxembourg on the 2:35 flight, Luxair's 186-seat Boeing 737-800 flies on to Rejkavik in Iceland and back again, before flying back to Luxembourg in the evening.

To date, 6,750 customers have reserved return flights from Luxembourg to Almeria, with 49% from France, 19% from Luxembourg, 13% from Belgium and 7% other. 90% of these have booked holiday packages, with 10% booking flights only.

Almeira is one of LuxairTours' new destinations this summer following the uncertainty at destinations such as Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia, with LuxairTours returning to more traditional countries, such as Spain and Portugal, albeit to new destinations.

Within the Bay of Almeria, LuxairTours offers 3 hotels at Roquetas de Mar, one at Aguadulce and one at El Toyo (close to the Cabo de Gata nature reserve). From all three locations, day-long excursions are possible to the Sierra Nevada (caves, castles, etc.), Grenada (ancient Arab cities), Majacar (Fernan Perez national park, the Cabo de Gata national park, plus various villages), and the Oasis theme park (western village and zoo).

A representative of the local tourism office explained that the main industry of the region used to be fishing and people used to live in the mountains. However, tourism in the region has started to flourish since the 1950s thanks to the warm climate and extensive beaches of golden sand, and agriculture is also important to the local economy. The main tourists to Almeria come from Spain, the UK and Belgium, with France and Germany too, with Almeria ideally suited for family holidays in summer and for retirees in winter, both at attractive prices. The resorts and the general area offer a range of activities from sporting (especially golf) to cultural and much more besides.

Photo by Geoff Thompson