Spain looks to reduce destination overload by highlighting other regions

Rosana Morillo, Spain’s secretary of state for tourism, told TTG@WTM Spain’s "extraordinary" season would continue into autumn and winter. "We might not recover the same number of tourists in all regions compared with 2019, but expenditure will for sure be bigger than 2019," she said. "From our minimum to maximum scenarios, even at the midpoint, it will be higher than in 2019."

However, Morillo acknowledged the impact the cost of living squeeze – as well as the consequences of major global shocks such as war in Ukraine and Gaza – was having on people’s spending power, and admitted Spain had to strike a balance between its value proposition and its primary aim of increasing tourism revenues rather than visitor numbers, not to mention maintaining harmony between tourists and residents.

"We still have to be an attractive destination for families and those who want an all-inclusive experience," said Morillo. "Our aim is to keep evolving our proposition to build the circular economy, putting lesser-known parts of Spain on the map."

She said that while Spain’s focus was broadly on growing spend rather than numbers, "it was true that some parts of Spain needed to grow their tourist numbers".

"Sometimes with more popular destinations, it’s difficult to find a balance between local citizens and tourists. We don’t want either group to have a negative perception of the other. In newer destinations, this isn’t an issue, but in mature destinations, we have to be careful."