No immediate effect of Brexit on Spanish tourism sector: official

Any effects of Brexit on the Spanish tourism sector would not be felt in the short term and Spain would continue to target the British market whatever happens, a Spanish tourism official has said.

"In the short term we won't be seeing any effects, because in terms of air capacity and reservations in summer and winter, we have already seen a big increase in bookings," Maria Blanco Quesada, the general director of Spain's national tourism agency Turespana, said in a recent interview with Xinhua.

Britons make up 25 percent of all visitors to the country and make an important contribution to the earnings of the Spanish tourism sector.

Following the result of the Brexit referendum, the agency said they looked forward to welcoming Britons to Spain.

The British market is limited to beach tourism, but also extends to attractions such as gastronomy, wine and culture, she said.

Blanca Quesada highlighted that tourism contributed 10.9 percent of Spain's GDP and was responsible for the creation of 12 percent of the country's jobs.

"In 2016 so far, we have received more than 25 million international tourists, which represents an increase of more than 11 percent in comparison with 2015," she added. Endit