Feria de Abril brings in 600 million euros despite the rain and recession

SEVILLA'S annual April Fair saw a healthy turnout of tourists and residents, despite torrential rain and the recession.
The Feria de Abril which has been running since 1847 ended at midnight on Sunday and, although there was no great fall in visitor numbers, most went along a few hours later than usual because of the bad weather and to avoid spending money on food in the fiesta tents.
Fewer horse-drawn carriages took part, however, reversing the trend seen just a few years ago when the 1,400 or so who registered to join in the processions had to take it in turns to avoid clogging up the streets.
Despite the reduction in official receptions and even a food tent being taken down because of non-payment, the city still managed to earn 600 million euros as a result of business taken during the fair.
This translates to 3.5 per cent of the GDP for Sevilla, even though it is still 75 million euros less than last year.
The first few days of the famous Feria de Abril saw bright sunshine, although rain on Friday, Saturday and Sunday put a damper on some of the events.
Extra vigilance by Local Police successfully prevented most of the usual botellones, or on-street 'bring-your-own-bottle' parties, and the new tourist information service used by over 500 visitors mostly French and Italian holidaymakers proved to be such a success that it will be set up again in future years, revealed the city council.
Sevilla's Feria de Abril runs for the best part of a week every April and includes processions of horse-drawn carriages, men and women in traditional flamenco costume, and typical folk music from Andalucía.

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