From mass tourism to contributory tourism, Spain transitions - Part 1

Covid's considerable impact on Spanish tourism

Since the 1950s, tourism has been Spain's leading economic force, gradually becoming one of the pillars of the destination. The health crisis has hit the country's economy hard, with tourism's share of Spain's GDP falling from 12.4% in 2019 to 5.9% in 2020. This represents a 75.4% drop in activity, with a fall of €116 billion and the loss of 300,000 jobs, an unprecedented figure in Spain. While the country welcomed almost 85 million tourists in 2019, only 19 million visitors arrived in 2020.

Moreover, the recovery in 2021 has been timid, with "only" 31.1 million foreign tourists, compared with the 45 million expected by the government. This number is also 63% down on 2019. In total, tourism generated 88.5 billion euros in the country in 2021, according to the employers' organisation Exceltur. This was €36 billion more than in 2020, but still 42.8% less than in 2019. It was not until 2022 that the country fully returned to its pre-Covid performance.

With more than 71.5 million foreign visitors and receipts in excess of 87 billion euros, Spain recorded a record performance in 2022. This performance has moreover exceeded pre-pandemic levels, with tourism GDP of €159 billion, 1.4% higher than in 2019. Tourism activity has therefore been stronger than expected, enabling the country to put the throes of the health crisis behind it once and for all.

Unsurprisingly, the most visited regions were the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Ibiza and Andalusia, with their sunny beaches. The Canary Islands welcomed over six million tourists, and tourism in Ibiza once again accounts for 100% of its GDP.

Over the last year, France has become Spain's second largest tourist market, with a market share of 14.1% and 10,091,315 visitors, 73.3% more than in 2021. "Due to...