Spain ready to pitch new tourism strategy to UK holidaymakers

Manuel Butler, UK director of the Spanish Tourist Office, said that post-Covid, the authority’s focus had been to reposition Spain as a sustainable, inclusive and high-end destination by placing a spotlight on its culture, history and gastronomy rather than all-inclusive beach holidays and breaks to its already heavily touristed cities.

Spain has for several years communicated this message to the travel trade – agents and operators – but Butler on Tuesday (19 March) said this messaging would be extended to consumers, with a view to targeting wealthier, general older holidaymakers.

“In the past years, we have worked with the trade especially and now we’re focusing on the main media in order to reach consumers,” said Butler.

It follows a faster-than-expected post-Covid recovery of tourism to Spain with 85 million people visiting the country in 2023, up 2% on 2019 levels.

The number of UK tourists, though, fell by 16% year-on-year last year and by 3.8% compared with 2019, while average stays have shrunk from 7.29 days in 2019 to 6.91 days in 2023.

However, despite their shorter stays, Brits have been spending more, contributing just shy of €20 billion (£17 billion) to the €108.7 billion spent by tourists in Spain in 2023, up by 12% compared with 2019.