Spain's Tourism Industry and Economic Impact

Economic Importance of Tourist Activity

Tourism is a phenomenon that generates the displacement of population for reasons of leisure, recreation, health, and cultural knowledge, and relates to other activities such as rest and sports. Tourism became a mass phenomenon from the 1950s due to increased living standards of the population, changing social and cultural values, and the improvement of transport media and infrastructure.

Currently, tourism is one of the main economic activities of our country. It generates enough jobs and occupies almost 9.3% of the active population. It contributes 11% of the GDP, which is why it is one of the main pillars of economic prosperity. It compensates for the slowing trade balance in external politics and debt. Tourism has been instrumental in the creation of the Mediterranean motorway, which is one of the primary reception areas for European broadcasters.

Spain's Tourism Potential

The enormous affluence of tourists to our country is explained by several factors: a large volume and variety of natural and cultural resources, good communication, and competitive prices.

Natural Resources

The coast is the main natural tourism resource, as the bulk of mass tourism is Mediterranean beach tourism. The Canary Islands account for 20% of the Spanish coast, followed by the Balearic Islands and Andalusia. Andalusia concentrates almost 30% of Spanish beaches and the Levante mountain ranges.

Mountain ranges enable the implementation of various leisure activities. In places where snow is relatively copious in winter, technology such as snow cannons guarantees the possibility of practicing skiing outside of natural snowfall. The remainder of the mountain offers other possibilities such as hiking, climbing, mountaineering, and bike rides. Mountain rivers are operated as whitewater courses for adventure sports. The enormous biodiversity of the peninsula serves as a foundation for future quality tourism.

Cultural Resources

Spanish cultural heritage is becoming a tourist resort with an increasingly important number of visitors. This justified interest promotes many rehabilitation interventions to heritage activities. Cultural tourism generally involves visiting places of historical and artistic value, which is very important for cities with significant architectural heritage such as Madrid, Segovia, and Salamanca.