Interview: Spain's booming tourism industry gears towards more high-value travelers, says expert

Barcelona [Spain], February 2: The record figures registered by Spain's tourism industry in 2024 are testimony to the country now offering more diverse experiences than the popular summer beach holidays, Albert Vancells, tourism degree coordinator at the School of Tourism and Hotel Management at the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB), told Xinhua in an interview on Friday.
Earlier this month, the Spanish government announced that 94 million foreign nationals visited Spain in 2024, representing a 10 percent increase from 2023 and the highest number registered since records began.
"Until a few years ago, Spain was a popular destination for summer beach holidays and little else, but the growing variety of events and activities offered mainly by big cities like Barcelona and Madrid has been attracting tourists throughout the year," Vancells said.
According to Vancells, while Spain remains a traditional holiday destination for Europeans, the number of tourists arriving from non-European countries has grown, including from China and India, where the tourism market has been expanding rapidly.
Last year Spain also saw a 16 percent increase in tourism spending, which amounted to 126 billion euros (131 billion U.S. dollars).
According to Vancells, Spain's tourism strategy should be geared towards fewer but high-value travelers -- a profile that fits many Chinese tourists in Spain.
According to the Spanish tourism board, Turesapana, spending per Chinese traveler in Spain surged last year, reaching an average of 3,123 euros per trip. This represents a 25 percent rise compared to 2019.
For this trend to continue, more direct flights or flights with easy connections will be needed between Spain and China, along with a wide variety of cultural events that offer attractive alternatives to beach holidays, Vancells said.
"Chinese visitors are not interested in the sun and a beach holiday. They are more interested in culture, luxury goods and services, and gastronomy. So, we have to adapt our offer to their needs."
Meanwhile, the Spanish government foresees the tourism industry to continue growing in 2025, with 26 million tourists expected in the first quarter of the year, some 9 percent more than in the same period in 2024.
Source: Xinhua News Agency