Key facts
- Spain anticipates reaching 100 million foreign tourists this year, a first for the country.
- Last year, Spain hosted 96.8 million foreign visitors, generating €134bn in spending.
- The government is promoting less-visited inland and northern regions to diversify tourism.
- This strategy aims to manage growth sustainably and address overtourism concerns.
- Spain is investing €3.4bn of EU funds to modernize its tourism sector.
Spain is actively working to shift its tourism focus beyond its traditional coastal "sun and sand" appeal, aiming to manage "calm growth" as visitor numbers approach a record 100 million. Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu stated that while the growth is welcome, the "old formulas no longer work," necessitating a diversification strategy to address overtourism and climate change concerns.
Last year, Spain welcomed 96.8 million foreign tourists, a 3.2% increase from the previous year, with spending rising 6.8% to €134bn. Early figures for the first quarter of this year indicate continued growth, with numbers up 3.4% and revenue up 6.7%. Hereu expressed that reaching 100 million visitors is not an obsession but a manageable increase, emphasizing a sustainable approach.
The minister acknowledged that unchecked tourism growth has led to issues like protests, increased housing costs due to tourist flats, and strain on public services. He stressed the importance of regulation, noting that while the left generally favors stricter controls, the right often relies on market self-regulation, which he believes is insufficient in many areas. Hereu cited Barcelona's decision to ban tourist flats by 2028 as a positive step.
Spain's current advertising campaign, "Think You Know Spain? Think Again," deliberately avoids coastal imagery, instead showcasing inland attractions, cultural heritage, food, wine, and natural landscapes in regions like Castilla-La Mancha and the green north. This strategy is reportedly showing success, with low and mid-season tourism and inland destinations growing faster than the high season and coastal areas.
An investment of €3.4bn from EU Next Generation funds is being channeled into modernizing the sector, supporting less-visited regions such as Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura, Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country, and Navarre. The minister believes this diversification can help combat depopulation by creating jobs in these areas and also contribute to greater employment stability and potentially higher salaries within the tourism industry.
Furthermore, the government is focused on helping the industry adapt to the climate emergency, promoting renewable energy, efficient water use, and waste management to mitigate impacts like droughts and heatwaves.