According to the report provided by Eurostat, Spain was the first country in the European Union in number of overnight stays, surpassing France, due to an increase of 4.3% compared to the previous year.
The tourism impact represents around 11% of the country’s gross domestic product, sustaining part of its economy in the service sector, with unparalleled development and excellence in hospitality and transportation since the tourism boom that occurred in the 1960s that was finally consolidated with the celebration in the fifth centenary of the Discovery of America (1492) of the Olympic Games of Barcelona and the Universal Exhibition of Seville.
With respect to income from the tourism sector, Spain is the second nation in the world, only surpassed by the United States according to the UNWTO. The main tourist destination is Catalonia, with Barcelona also being the main city receiving tourists, followed by the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands.
In 2015, the World Economic Forum awarded Spain the first place in the world in tourism competitiveness. The World Tourism Organization has its headquarters in Madrid.
For several decades, special emphasis was placed on the promotion of sun and beach tourism, due to the much warmer and sunnier climate compared to other European countries. Summer temperatures often range between 20 and 40°C, and many regions have more than 300 days of sunshine a year, with summers generally being dry and hot.
The tourist capacity in the coastal towns provides a high number of hotels, restaurants and homes on the beach, of which the Costa del Sol and the Valencian coast are faithful exponents, with Marbella, Torremolinos and Benidorm as prominent promoters.
The north of Spain has a somewhat cooler and more humid climate. Many Spaniards and foreigners are attracted by the thousand-year-old Camino de Santiago or playful festivals, such as San Fermín in Pamplona. The northern zone combines rural tourism with large sandy areas that enjoy good weather in the summer and ski tourism in winter.
This area has a unique beauty due to the proximity of mountains with abundant vegetation and areas such as the Cantabrian coast, the Galician estuaries or the Picos de Europa, according to All Pyrenees.
Spanish gastronomy is wide and varied, with typical dishes such as gazpacho, paella, Madrid stew, bean stew, Iberian ham, seafood or the typical fish of the area. Olive oil, of which Spain is the leading producer in the world, is used in a wide variety of dishes, and is highly appreciated in other countries.
In recent years, interest in cultural tourism in Spain has grown, increasing the influx of visitors to destinations such as the Roman Mérida in Extremadura or historic places in Castile and León.