Tourism in Spain: Resources, Types, and Impacts
Tourism in Spain
What is Tourism?
Tourism is the set of activities carried out by people who travel and stay outside their usual environment for leisure, business, or other purposes for a period of less than one year.
Types of Tourism:
- Inbound Tourism: Tourism from abroad.
- Domestic Tourism: Tourism by nationals inside the country.
- Outbound Tourism: Tourism comprising nationals traveling abroad.
Tourist Resources of Spain
Since 1960, Spain has experienced significant tourism development and is currently the world’s second-largest tourist destination by the number of visitors and income received.
Natural Resources:
Spain boasts a variety of relief and geological formations, beaches, and a climate with hot, dry summers or more gentle heat.
Cultural Resources:
Spain offers numerous cultural attractions, including archaeological sites, monuments, museums, historic cities, religious centers, conferences, festivals, and cuisine.
Characteristics of Spanish Tourism
Tourism Product Marketers:
Spain promotes international tourism through fairs and tourism offices in various countries.
Tourist Facilities:
Spain’s tourist facilities meet the needs of accommodation, food, and recreation.
Accommodation:
The accommodation offering is extensive and focuses on the mainland Mediterranean coast, the Balearic and Canary Islands, although it has grown in inland areas in recent years. It consists mainly of lower-middle-class hotels and non-hotel facilities (e.g., camping).
Food Services:
Food services such as cafes, restaurants, and bars are widely available. The most visited are the two-fork establishments.
Recreation:
Recreational offerings include sports facilities, water parks, golf courses, riding clubs, national parks, and tourist attractions.
Tourist Demand
Foreign Demand:
Foreign tourists mainly come from Northern and Western Europe, primarily British, German, French, Italian, Nordic, Dutch, Belgian, and Portuguese tourists. They predominantly visit during the summer and concentrate in sun and beach areas in Catalonia, the Balearic and Canary Islands, followed by Andalusia and Valencia. They often opt for package holidays and hotel accommodation, although direct bookings through the internet have increased in recent years, along with the emergence of low-cost airlines and the growth of non-hotel accommodation.
Domestic Demand:
Domestic tourists mainly come from Madrid, Catalonia, Andalusia, and Valencia. They are better distributed throughout the year, traveling during Easter, weekends, and long weekends. They also exhibit lower concentration, especially in summer, and although they prefer the beaches of the Mediterranean coast, they also choose Andalusia, Catalonia, and Valencia. Spaniards also visit inland villages, mountain areas, and the northern coasts. They usually travel without reservations or directly contracted tourist services and often stay in accommodations provided by family, friends, or apartments.
Excessive Seasonality of Demand:
The main tourist demand coincides with the summer holidays, except in ski resorts and the Canary Islands, where there is no off-season.
Types of Tourism in Spain
Coastal Tourism:
Coastal tourism is mainly concentrated on sun and beach tourism, although there is also tourism related to rivers, lakes, and reservoirs. Spa tourism, which combines medical treatment with rest in peaceful locations, is also growing.
Mountain Tourism:
Mountain tourism is linked to skiing. However, other activities like hiking and adventure sports are also popular.
Ecotourism:
Ecotourism focuses on visiting protected natural areas such as national parks.
Rural Tourism:
Rural tourism allows visitors to enjoy rest, tranquility, and environmental quality, along with activities such as visits to agricultural museums.
Urban Tourism:
Urban tourism is directed towards cities with historical, artistic, and cultural significance or those declared World Heritage sites (e.g., Salamanca, Toledo). Urban tourism is also growing around business fairs, congresses, and festivals.
Tourist Areas in Spain
Tourist areas are open spaces with a high density of tourists, both foreign and domestic. Tourist spots are isolated cases related to specific aspects, such as mountains or historic inland cities. They can be seasonal, like Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, or attract tourism throughout the year, especially in destinations like Alicante, Granada, and Seville, which receive specific visits.
High-Density Tourist Areas:
The Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and the Mediterranean coast are high-density tourist areas of sun and beach tourism. Early development favored tourist areas in Europe that were more accessible by road or air. The space occupancy model varies across areas where accommodation and tourist facilities are integrated into existing population centers, modifying them or setting up new extensions and tourist areas (e.g., Benidorm).
Madrid:
Madrid mainly experiences seasonal tourism and offers a wide selection of hotels for cultural and business tourism.
Medium and Low-Density Tourist Areas and Tourist Spots:
These include the Galician and Cantabrian Coast, certain sections of the pre-Mediterranean, Mediterranean, and South Atlantic coasts, tourist spots and resorts, holiday farms, and cities of art and history.
Spatial Impact of Tourism
Demographic Impact:
Tourism increases the population in coastal areas. In some cases, young people seeking work or retirees move to these areas. Tourism also increases employment in construction and the tertiary sector. In some rural, mountainous, and historic cities experiencing decline, tourism has slowed down depopulation and revitalized crafts.
Impact on Settlement:
Tourism has promoted the formation of conurbations in coastal areas, often characterized by high-density construction and speculation. In some rural, mountain, and urban areas, tourism has helped rehabilitate buildings.
Economic Impact:
- Tourism generates more than 12% of employment and stimulates other economic activities like agriculture, industry, construction, transport, and trade.
- It contributes about 11% of the gross domestic product.
- It helps reduce foreign debt.
- It influences transport policy, ensuring good access to tourist resorts.
Political, Cultural, and Sociological Impact:
Tourism promotes interaction between peoples and cultures. It also impacts local society both positively and negatively.
Impact on Land Use:
In coastal areas, tourism leads to the development of areas based on tourist needs, creating recreation areas or suburbs with services that provide basic supplies. The consequences include:
- Changes in the environment and landscape, such as the filling of marshes for water-related activities.
- Economic transformations, as arable land is revalued due to its potential for development.
- Conflicts over land and resources.
In rural and mountain areas, tourism can create conflicts with agricultural activities or cause their abandonment. In historic city centers, there is a specialization in tourist service activities, while the outskirts see the development of second homes or hotels.
Environmental Impact:
The consequences of tourism include the construction of large hotel and apartment blocks near beaches, the destruction of forests and ecosystems, air and water pollution, excessive noise, and the accumulation of waste.