http://www.madridiario.es/2010/Octubre/m...taciones.html10

well things are good for the city welcoming mat, so where is the crisis?

The article says there were a record number of tourists in Madrid for the month of September. Not bad! Hope it continues.

The crisis is a myth. If anything, it's only a mild recession. Unemployment is the true danger, however. Now employers/corporations have a good excuse to lay-off/fire people and make those employees with jobs do more at the same or lower wages ----- all the while the owners of said corporations get richer than ever before. Oh, and hey, while you're at it, just close down the local factory and send those jobs to China. THAT'LL maximize profits! WHO GIVES A CRAP ABOUT José Blomás in Alcobendas who now can't pay his mortgage? (You see? I got myself worked up)

Until people learn to stop spending money they really don't have they'll continue going out and having fun like always. Expensive restaurants will continue to be full, and the rich will always be rich. The poor can always get poorer.

If it wasn't for tourism - imagine THAT for just a moment - how would Madrid and Barcelona be right now??

Saludos, MadridMan

Jose Blomas? Is that a Madridmanism or a word used widely in Spanish? I love it!

I am happy to support tourism in Madrid!

I will gladly spend my tourism dollars/euros in Spain!

Hehehe.. That's the "MadridMan-ism" for "Joe Blow". NOW that I think about it more, I should've called him "José Soplas". Hahahaha..

Saludos, MadridMan

Well, I don't believe those statistics. Although high season for hotels / hostels in Madrid is during September / Octuber, I can tell you that the real figures we have (my place and many others I know) are far away from being a "record".

Bear in mind that statistics are published by the government so they try to make you think that economy is going better than what most people think.

Let's take an example. If you are unemployed but taking lessons to improve your skills in order to get a job, then you are not considered "officially" as unemployed. Does this mean you are working and earning money at the end of the month?. No, but that way of "counting" umployed people make the figures go down. Just read the "fine print" at the statistics of "Ministerio de Trabajo" and you'll see that.

Antonio, I tend to agree with your comments!!!! Everyone I know has cut back - way back - to non-exitent - their travel due to the financial mess most of the world is in. Those who have employment are not sure if their job will be there the next day and those without can't afford to go to the market let alone to travel.

Let's take an example. If you are unemployed but taking lessons to improve your skills in order to get a job, then you are not considered "officially" as unemployed. Does this mean you are working and earning money at the end of the month?. No

Yes, you forget wich the state is paying money for unemployment?

Let's take an example. If you are unemployed but taking lessons to improve your skills in order to get a job, then you are not considered "officially" as unemployed. Does this mean you are working and earning money at the end of the month?. No Or yes,There are many paid courses, usually 75%IPREM, very little money but ....

Well, even if you get some money from the government, I would consider an unemployed person someone who doesn't have a job. It seems that the "official" definition of unemployed person is different.

By the way, the money you get from the government (what we call here "cobrar el paro"), comes from the taxes they deduce from every worker salary. (except the new subside that the state government is giving)

Anyway, it wasn't my intention to go off-topic or to turn this thread into a political discussion. I'm always very skeptic about statistics. It was just an example to show how statistics figures could be different from what common sense tells you. Hope no one here works in that field... hehehe

a conversation very difficult for me in Inglish......
Un saludo Antonio.

unemployment has hit hard in Spain and still does, have family in aluche, toledo,and tenerife. HOwever, the article was mentioning the tourists coming to Spain, and I guess the crisis is no crisis for those traveling.
the same here where I am records numbers at Versailles 6 millions more than 500K than last year. So this means folks are traveling no matter what, and thats good. The consumer will beat out the crisis ,if any

from a purely economic term, my job, there is no crisis. Just a readjustment of the labor market and cheaper locations, some will be hurt and some will gain. thats the market always.
Cheers