Spain’s Tourism Evolution and Current Landscape
Item 18: Tourism
1. The Development of Tourism in Spain
The history of tourism in Spain goes back to the arrival of Roman travelers in the 19th century, who saw Spain as a topical and exotic country.
The beginnings of modern tourism are in the 1950s. In 1960, the number of visitors exceeded six million, and this growth continued until 1973. From 1960 to 1973, the foundations of the Spanish mass tourism model were laid, which required the construction of apartment complexes and hotels.
The expansion rate was terminated in 1973 due to the increase in oil prices, the economic crisis, the decline of the Franco regime, and the stirrings of the democratic transition.
Since 1976, a new phase of sustained growth began, which lasted until 1989. Its main feature was the incorporation of Spanish people into beach tourism.
In 2007, Spain was the world’s second-largest tourist destination in terms of visitors, behind France. For income, Spain is also the second in the world, behind the United States.
Comparing, we see that since the early nineties, revenues have grown at a lower rate than the number of tourists. At the same time, the tourism sector has lost much of its profitability.
Since 2008, there has been a decline in tourists because of the economic crisis.
2. Characterization and Typology of Tourism Models in Spain
The tourism model that has been consolidated in Spain is characterized by international visitors, its status as mass tourism, and the focus on sun and beach activities.
- Countries sending tourists to Spain are mainly members of the European Union. Spain has basically become an intercontinental European tourist space.
The dominant tourism model is sun and sand; that is, tourism that seeks escape, leisure, and relaxation, which is manifested in the saturation of the transport and hospitality sectors in July and August.
Other tourism offerings are recently built inland tourism, winter sports, spas, wine (gourmet), film, and environmentally friendly options.
- Tourism of retired persons, both nationals and foreigners, is growing. They alternate their stay at the coast with their habitual residence.
- The Spanish tourist infrastructure, according to the characteristics of demand, is extraordinary and represents one of its main assets compared to potential competitors. Its geographical distribution is uneven by autonomous communities and, within them, by county.
Foreign tourists are received by Spain from the UK, Germany, France, and Italy (from highest to lowest). But as living conditions have improved, there has been growth in domestic tourism, both sun and beach and inland. Communities such as Madrid, Catalonia, and Andalusia, and other communities that have a rate higher than the national average, include the Basque Country, Asturias, and Aragón.
The problem facing tourism is the marked seasonality, with most choosing summer for vacations, causing mass tourism on the Mediterranean coast.
The second problem is the spatial concentration of supply on the Mediterranean coast and islands.
Thirdly, there is also a concentration of demand from abroad, and thus a change in tastes and the buying power of these countries can harm us. If we diversified the arrival of tourists, we would ensure continued growth.
A fourth problem is the dependence on tour operators (foreign companies offering tourists a complete vacation package that the customer pays for in the issuing country) so that most of the spending stays in their country. The solution could be more investment in Spain in companies such as tour operators.
The sector is characterized by large business hotel services and smallholdings. Also, nearly half of our resort is made up of independent retailers or small hotel chains, making it difficult to negotiate with tour operators.
Finally, the need to increase the quality of our services requires us to have qualified staff, good value for money, and broad diversification of our tourist offer.