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Alicante Provincial Council Strengthens Ties with the UK Market at World Travel Market London

 

4 November 2025 | Alicante

 

 

Toni Pérez will attend the world's largest tourism trade fair in the coming days to promote the offerings of Alicante's municipalities.

 

London, 4 November 2025 – The Alicante Provincial Council has once again returned to the World Travel Market (WTM), taking place from 4–6 November at ExCeL London, with the objective of consolidating and expanding its most important international tourism market – the United Kingdom.

 

Toni Pérez, President of the Alicante Provincial Council, is leading the delegation to London to attend the opening of the world’s leading tourism trade fair and to engage in a series of professional meetings with tour operators, travel agencies and industry leaders.

 

Speaking ahead of the event, Mr Pérez explained that the main goal is to “strengthen air connectivity between the province of Alicante and the United Kingdom and to develop tailored holiday packages based on traveller preferences, available throughout the year rather than limited to the high season.”

 

Accompanied by José Mancebo, Director of the Provincial Tourism Board, Mr Pérez reaffirmed that “the British market remains a cornerstone of tourism on the Costa Blanca,” with a particularly strong influence on the city of Benidorm.

 

Record Growth in British Visitors

Between January and September this year, Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport achieved a new record of 15.3 million passengers, of which over five million were from the UK – consolidating Britain’s position as the airport’s largest international market and one of the fundamental drivers of air traffic in the region.

 

“This steady flow underlines Alicante Airport’s role as the main gateway for British visitors to Spain’s Mediterranean coast,” said Mr Pérez, adding that it “reinforces the Costa Blanca’s position as a preferred destination for UK travellers.”

 

He also noted that tourism data “reflects a strong recovery and consolidation of British demand across Spain, and particularly on the Costa Blanca, where the UK market remains vital,” suggesting that “this trend will continue well into 2026.”

 

Strategic Meetings and Market Development

Over the coming days, the Costa Blanca Tourist Board will promote the destination not only within the UK travel industry but also to airlines and operators from emerging European markets including Poland, Central Europe and Italy.

 

“The Costa Blanca’s objective,” Mr Pérez explained, “is to de-seasonalise demand and promote a form of tourism that is inclusive, sustainable and increasingly digital, while continuing to highlight our region’s diversity, accessibility and year-round sunshine – key attractions for British holidaymakers.”

 

The Council’s meeting agenda includes professional sessions with leading operators such as WeRoad (youth adventure travel), ICE Travel Group (UK luxury tourism), Invia Media Travel (second-largest OTA in the DACH region), Holiday Pirates, Your Travel Golf (the world’s largest golf travel operator), Eurotours (Austria), and Galaxy Tours (Ireland), among others.

 

Additional discussions are planned with airlines such as WizzAir to explore new routes from Eastern Europe to Alicante, as well as with Voyage Privée (luxury online agency), Inspirtes My Holidays (wellness tourism), and Love Velo (cycle tourism specialist).

 

“For the Costa Blanca, the World Travel Market is a priority event,” Mr Pérez stated. “It provides a key opportunity to meet with airlines and tour operators that connect Alicante with the UK, establish long-term partnerships for the 2026 season, and stay abreast of the latest global tourism trends.”

 

More than 5,000 international buyers, 4,000 leading travel brands, and 46,000 tourism professionals are attending this year’s WTM London.

 

Collaboration with ETOA

Ahead of WTM, the Costa Blanca Tourist Board took part in the European Tour Operators Association (ETOA) B2B workshop, held from 31 October to 3 November, aimed at enhancing the marketing of experiential tourism products – including sport, gastronomy, culture, wellness and MICE – and identifying new partners for promotion in emerging European markets.

 

According to José Mancebo, the event also served as a platform to “prepare for our upcoming initiatives, including the launch of Showcase Costa Blanca 2026, an international tourism marketing event to be held in Alicante in February next year.”

 

During the ETOA event, Mr Mancebo presented “Costa Blanca: A Destination of Experiences”, featuring the promotional film “WoW

 

Costa Blanca”. His presentation focused on three strategic pillars:

• Positioning the province of Alicante as a diverse, sustainable and well-connected destination;
• Expanding into new source markets such as the United States and Canada, with improved air and rail links; and
• Announcing the Showcase Costa Blanca 2026 event.