Once again, the Alhambra in Granada has maintained its position as the most visited monument in Spain. In 2010, the Alhambra and Generalife gardens were visited by 3,345,311 people, 4.85 per cent more than in 2009. This is the first year since 2007 that visits have increased, which is in part thanks to more Spanish visitors, and many have visited the exhibitions which have been organized in the Palace of Carlos V, which is within the same complex.
According to the director of the Alhambra Tourism Board, Maria del Mar Villafranca, the managers of the monument are optimistic about the visitors for this year.
Spanish visitors have increased by 4.64 per cent from 2009 to 45.11 per cent of the total visitors. European visitors amounted to 36.22 of the total, mainly French and Italians, and those from the rest of the world amounted to 18.67 per cent of the total, and were up by 2.23 per cent.
The Alhambra is also a popular destination for school trips, with 49 per cent of groups from Granada, 47.18 from the rest of Andalucia and 3.33 per cent from the rest of Spain.
The average visitors are Europeans aged between 30 and 44, with university degrees, a qualified job and who leave the monument with a ‘high’ or ‘very high’ degree of satisfaction, valuing above all how well conserved the buildings are, as well as the cleanliness of the gardens and the whole complex.
Source: Euro Weekly News