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Spain Tourism
Although historical sites and unique cultural features
had
always made Spain attractive to foreign visitors, the
tourist
boom that began in the mid-1950s was based primarily on
the
recreational assets of the Mediterranean seashore areas.
The
country had fewer than 1 million tourists in 1950, but the
number
rose steadily, reaching more than 34 million in 1973 and
50.5
million in 1987 (see
table 6, Appendix).
The tourist boom had a significant, and not wholly
beneficial, impact on the Spanish economy. Though it was a
welcome source of foreign exchange and created new
employment
opportunities, it also diverted capital investment and
construction efforts away from more stable economic
activities to
a sector subject to seasonal fluctuations, the whims of
fashion,
and worldwide economic conditions.
Nonetheless, the importance of tourism to the Spanish
economy
was substantial. Net tourist receipts averaged about 5
percent of
GDP in the early 1970s, but in 1987 that figure rose to
almost 10
percent, as receipts rose to US$14.7 billion--more than
enough to
cover the country's merchandise trade deficit. On a net
basis,
Spain's tourist revenues were the highest in the world.
The
United States had higher gross revenues, but its tourist
expenditures exceeded revenues by a considerable margin.
Spain's 50.5 million foreign visitors in 1987
constituted 12
percent more than had come in 1986. Most of them came from
the
EC, with France, Portugal, Britain, and West Germany
leading the
way. American tourists accounted for less than 2 percent
of the
total, but they spent more per person than their European
counterparts making the United States the second source of
tourist receipts after Britain. Tourism was projected to
remain
strong in 1988, with a 5 percent increase in visitors.
Tourist
sector spokespersons were more concerned about raising
tourist
spending, however, than with increasing the number of
visitors.
The average expenditure per foreign visitor increased only
2.4
percent in 1987.
The most popular resort areas were the Balearic Islands
and
the Mediterranean coastal areas. The Balearic Islands
generally
accounted for about 34 percent of the number of nights
foreign
tourists spent in Spain; the Costa Brava and the Costa
Dorada,
stretching from the French border through Barcelona to
Tarragona,
accounted for 22 percent; and the Costa del Sol and Costa
de la
Luz, extending from Almeria on the southern--or
Mediterranean--
coast to Ayamonte on the Atlantic coast at the Portuguese
border,
accounted for 12 percent. The distant Canary Islands
attracted 13
percent of Spain's foreign guests, and land-locked Madrid
was
host to 8 percent. Cultural festivals were instituted in
Santander and Madrid in an effort to increase the
attractiveness
of these cities. The seaside resorts continued to dominate
the
tourist industry, however, despite considerable government
effort
to stimulate interest in visiting historical and cultural
sites.
Although areas on the northern coast facing the Bay of
Biscay
were accessible to the rest of Europe and had good weather
in the
summer, when most Europeans and Americans took their
vacations,
their share of the tourist trade was only about 3 percent.
San
Sebastian was the center of the tourist industry on the
Bay of
Biscay, and nearby towns were also popular, but their
allure was
limited by tourist apprehensions over continuing political
turbulence and violence in the Basque region.
Tourist centers farther to the west, on the Cantabrian
coast
and in Galicia, were not so commercially developed as the
better
known Basque or Mediterranean resorts. Accordingly, their
appeal
to tourists was their traditional Spanish flavor. They
also
provided visitors with less elaborate, but also less
expensive,
accommodations.
Like most nations dependent on tourist trade, Spain was
concerned about the underutilization, and sometimes
overutilization, of facilities that was caused by seasonal
variation in weather. These variations caused marked
differentials in monthly tourist revenues and
international trade
receipts. July and August were the most active months;
February
was the least active. Efforts were made to develop winter
sports
facilities in order to increase the number of tourists
visiting
Spain during the colder months; however, competition from
France,
Switzerland, and Austria, where snow conditions were more
reliable, constituted a formidable obstacle to success in
this
area.
Tourism was recognized, even before World War II, as an
important economic activity worthy of government support.
A chain
of official hotels, known as tourist inns
(paradores), was
initiated at historical sites in the 1920s during the
Primo de
Rivera regime, and it was extended during the postwar
years.
Tourist promotion was a function of the Ministry of
Interior
until 1951, when the Ministry of Information and Tourism
was
created. In the late 1980s, the Ministry of
Transportation,
Tourism, and Communications took on this responsibility.
The
National Tourist Company, a state-owned enterprise, was
engaged
in the construction of hotels and tourist complexes.
Tourist promotion encompassed such routine activities
as
advertising and distributing maps, information folders,
and lists
of accommodations and shops. In addition, tourist offices
were
maintained in major foreign cities in order to encourage,
to
advise, and to assist people planning visits to Spain.
Within the
country, tourist assistance was provided by a network of
more
than seventy local tourist information offices found in
all major
cities and sites of interest.
Although most tourist accommodations were privately
owned and
operated, there was considerable government supervision of
the
industry. All restaurants and hotels were inspected,
classified,
and controlled by the Ministry of Transportation, Tourism,
and
Communications. Prices for meals and accommodations were
controlled, and establishments catering to tourists were
required
to maintain complaint books which were intended to help
the
ministry's inspectors identify any shortcomings. In
addition, the
government operated a number of accommodations. These
establishments included the above-mentioned
paradores,
many of which were converted castles, palaces, or other
buildings
of historical or cultural interest. Government-operated
inns
(albergues) were maintained on highways away from
larger
cities and towns, and many areas had hostels
(hosterias),
which were government-operated restaurants featuring
traditional
regional dishes. The ministry also maintained a number of
mountain lodges (refugios).
Data as of December 1988
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