Tourism in Spain
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Tourism in Spain was developed during the 1960s and 1970s, when the country became a popular place for summer holidays, especially for tourists from the British Isles, France, Central Europe and Scandinavia. In 2007, Spain became the second most visited country of the world after France. That year, almost 60 million foreign tourists were received, according to the World Tourism Organization, which has its headquarters in Madrid. In 2010, Spain dropped to the fourth most visited country in the world after France, the United States and China with 53 million visitors.[1] Spain's tourism direct industry GDP was €62.1 billion ($81.8 billion) in 2010 according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, the fifth highest tourism direct industry GDP after the United States with $510.8 billion, Japan $172.5 billion, China $113.4 billion and France $107.6 billion all also World Travel and Tourism Council 2010 figures. It is worth noting that UNWTO measures tourism income differently and in its Tourism Highlights report, 2010 edition, places Spain ($53 billion) second only to US ($93.9 billion) in 2009 for "International Tourism Receipts". The UNWTO's own methodological notes explain the meaning of International Tourism Receipts and may help to explain the differences in the two organisations figures.
Transport
Spain's national airline is Iberia, but the country can also be flown into on many international passenger airlines such as Air Europa, Vueling, Air Berlin, Clickair and charter airlines, both of which fly to many tourist spots in the region. The main train operator is RENFE; the AVE (Spanish high speed train) or Talgo are the intercity services for tourists. Many freeways link the touristic cities......
Summer resorts and beaches
This type of Tourism was the first to be developed in Spain, and today, generates the most income for the Spanish economy. The mild climate during the whole year and the extensive sandy beaches of the Mediterranean and Atlantic Ocean as well as of its two archipelagoes (the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands respectively) have been attracting tourists from the cold territories of Northern Europe for decades. Summer resorts are popular with Spaniards too.
The Spanish coasts suitable for summer vacations include, from north to south:
- The Costa Brava, the Costa Daurada and the Costa del Maresme, in the autonomous community of Catalonia, very popular between tourist from inland Spain and France, including famous resorts like Salou and the city of Barcelona, that also has the largest harbour of Spain.
- Costa de Valencia, whose capital city is Valencia and the Costa Blanca, (one of the most developed coastal areas of Spain, extremely popular for tourists from the United Kingdom and Germany, with Benidorm as the leading summer city of Spain), all in the Valencian Community.
- The Costa Cálida in the Region of Murcia, Mediterranean Coasts and the Mar Menor (Small Sea), an inner salt lake separated to the Mediterranean by a large sandy strip.
- The Costa de Almería, the Costa Tropical, the Costa del Sol and the Costa de la Luz, all in Andalusia. Some of its summer towns are famous worldwide, like Marbella in Málaga Province or Sotogrande in San Roque, Cádiz, both destinations of tourists and summer residents with big purchasing power. Málaga is also one of the largest harbours in Spain.
Spain also has two archipelagoes, the volcanic Canary Islands, in the Atlantic, and the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean, both very popular with Spaniards and foreigners. In the Canary Islands archipelago in the same tourist island is Gran Canaria.
In addition to the summer tourism, other modalities like cultural and monumental tourism congresses, sport or fun tourism have been developed in these areas, including such famous cities as Barcelona and Valencia, the biggest harbours of the Spanish Mediterranean coast.
Beach tourism also has been involved in the beautiful beaches of Spain. Many coastal or island places also have great ecological and natural importance. Theme Parks like PortAventura, Terra Mítica or diverse water-fun parks are also popular.
Cultural tourism, business tourism
As a crossroads of several civilizations, Spain offers a number of historical cities and towns. Major destinations include Spain's two largest cities: Madrid and Barcelona, which stand as two of the leading city destinations in Europe. Both offer a matchless number of attractions and their importance in commerce, education, entertainment, media, fashion, science, sports and arts contribute to their status as two of the world's major global cities. Thirteen Spanish cities have been declared World Heritage Cities by the UNESCO[4]: Alcalá de Henares, Ávila, Cáceres, Córdoba, Cuenca, Ibiza, Salamanca, San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santiago de Compostela, Segovia, Tarragona and Toledo. Overall, Spain has 42 World Heritage Sites designated by UNESCO, ranking second after Italy, with 45 sites. Other first-class destinations are Seville, Granada, Santander, Oviedo, Gijón, Bilbao and San Sebastián. All of them with historical landmarks and a lively cultural agenda.
Religion
Spain is an important place for Catholicism, Islam, and Judaism. In fact, some of the holiest places for the Catholic Church are in Spain: city of Santiago de Compostela in Galicia (North-West Spain), the third holiest place after the Vatican City in Rome and Jerusalem. It is also the terminus of the Way of Saint James. Santo Toribio de Liébana, Cantabria (also in North Spain) is the fourth, followed by Caravaca de la Cruz at the South-East, Region of Murcia (fifth holiest place). These places attract pilgrims and tourists from all the world. Religion also has found its artistic expression through the popular Holy Week processions, which become important in almost every town.
Festivals
Most festivals turn around patron saints, legends, local customs and folklore. Among the most singular ones stand out the Seville Fair (Feria de Abril in Spanish), the Romería de El Rocío in Almonte, Huelva, the world-famous Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, the Fallas in Valencia, the Tomatina in Buñol, Valencia and the Fiestas del Pilar in Zaragoza.
The Carnival is also popular all over Spain, but especially in the Canary Islands and Cadiz. There are renowned movie festivals all over the country, the most recognizable being the famous San Sebastián International Film Festival, the Málaga Spanish Film Festival, the Seminci (Valladolid International Film Festival), the Mostra de Valencia and the Sitges Film Festival, the world's foremost international festival specializing in fantasy and horror movies. Music festivals includes the Sónar, the FIB, the Festimad, the Primavera Sound, the Bilbao Festival BBK, the Monegros Desert Festival and the SOS 4.8.
Several cities have hosted international events: the 1888 Barcelona Universal Exposition, the 1929 Barcelona International Exposition, the 1992 Summer Olympics, all in Barcelona, the Universal fair of 1992 in Seville, the 2007 America's Cup in Valencia, and the Expo 2008 in Zaragoza. In addition, some Spanish cities have been or will be European Capital of Culture: Madrid in 1992; Santiago de Compostela in 2000, Salamanca in 2002 and San Sebastián in 2016.
Nightlife
The nightlife in Spain is very attractive to both tourists and locals. Spain is known to have some of the best nightlife in the world. Big cities such as Madrid and Barcelona are favorites amongst the large and popular discothèques. For instance, Madrid is known as the number one party city for clubs such as Pacha and Kapital (seven floors), and Barcelona is famous for Opium and Sutton famous clubs. The discothèques in Spain are open until odd hours such as 7am. The Baleraric Islands, such as Ibiza and Mallorca, are known to be major party destinations, as well as favored summer resorts.
Winter tourism
Spain, as the second most mountainous country of Europe, is full of high mountains and good ski resorts, with famous ski slopes all over Spain, including the Pyrenees, the Sistema Central, the Sistema Ibérico and Sierra Nevada.
Nature and rural tourism
Spain enjoys a diverse landscape and is full of places with great ecologic value all over the Spanish territory, including the Ordesa Valley and Monte Perdido between the autonomous community of Aragon and France, in the Pyrenees. Spain is a very mountainous country, but also has plains. The largest plain is the Meseta Central, with a "Castilian" landscape, full of prairies. There are also several wetlands with ecologic value, including the Picos de Europa National Park, the Doñana National Park, the Albufera of Valencia, the Lago de Sanabria (one of the largest lakes of Spain), the Lagunas de Ruidera and the Tablas de Daimiel National Park. North Spain is usually called Green Spain because of its lush landscape, due to wet and rainy weather. However, the Canary Islands have an exotic volcanic landscape (including the Teide volcano, that is also the highest peak of Spain). Spain has a lot of importance in terms of archeology and paleontology including Atapuerca and the Cave of Altamira.
References
External links
- Spanish Tourism Official Website in English
- Spain Travel
- Spain Hotels
- English News Magazine Spain
- Template:Wikitravel
- Birdwatching in Spain: Where to Watch Birds in Spain. The 100 best sites
- The regions of Spain, a brief introduction and guide.
- Turismo Cultural & City Break Trade Fare
- Travel guide to Andalusia, Spain