Spain. Tourism in the economy. Tourism governance and funding

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1 Spain Tourism in the economy Tourism is a key economic sector in Spain and contributes around 11% of GDP to the national economy this is estimated to rise to 15.2% if indirect impacts are also included (WTTC). Tourism is also an important source of jobs, with 2.2 million people employed in tourism industries or 12.7% of total employment. Low oil prices and the euro-dollar exchange rate have impacted Spanish competitiveness and inbound tourism. Spain registered a record of 64.9 million international tourist arrivals in 2014 (an increase of 7.1% on 2013), generating an estimated EUR 49.1 billion for the Spanish economy in international travel receipts (up 4.2%). Growth was recorded in each of the main source markets: the United Kingdom (4.7%), France (11.3%), Germany (3.5%) and Italy (14.6%). Over million domestic overnight trips were recorded in 2014, down 3.4% on the previous year. Domestic travel receipts fell by a similar magnitude to reach EUR 19.8 billion. Tourism governance and funding National responsibility for tourism lies with the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism through the State Secretariat for Tourism. The State Secretariat is responsible for developing, co-ordinating and implementing tourism policy that falls within the sphere of the central government s responsibility, as well as institutional relations at national and international level. The Secretariat for Tourism co-ordinates three entities at national level: Turespaña, Paradores de Turismo S.A. and SEGITTUR (Sociedad Estatal para la Gestión de la Innovación y las Tecnologías Turísticas). Turespaña is an autonomous body attached to the Ministry, carrying out its activity abroad through the network of Spanish Tourism Offices supported by Spain s embassies and consulates. Its remit includes: Tourism promotion in international markets in collaboration with the regional authorities (Comunidades Autónomas), local authorities and the private sector, Drawing up tourism policy in collaboration with other state organisations, public authorities and the private sector, Supporting Spanish tourism firms abroad and also expediting international tourism co-operation and relations, Analysing and disseminating knowledge and intelligence for the tourism economy, Drawing up plans and programmes to foster innovation, quality, sustainability and competitiveness of tourism products and destinations, 271

2 Driving the modernisation of the tourism sector, improving its technological capacity and enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of management processes, Strategy and investment for the Paradores de Turismo. Paradores de Turismo S.A., a public corporation established as such in 1991 but whose origins dates back to 1930, runs the state-owned hotel network. There are now 94 establishments, employing people, most of which are located in historic sites and other interesting natural areas. SEGITTUR is a state-owned company responsible for promoting research and development for innovation in the Spanish tourism industry, in both the public and private sectors. The main co-ordination instruments between public and private tourism stakeholders are the: Inter-Ministerial Committee for Tourism (Comisión Interministerial de Turismo) whose members represent those national ministries that have responsibility for tourismrelated matters, Sectoral Tourism Conference (Conferencia Sectorial de Turismo) which brings together public representatives from central government and the autonomous regions with tourism responsibilities, Spanish Tourism Council (Consejo Español de Turismo) which brings together all the territorial tourism administrations (state, regions and provinces/cities) and the private sector i.e. chambers of trade, the National Employers Association (CEOE), professional associations, trade unions and a wide spectrum of tourism professionals, Advisory Council of Turespaña (Consejo Asesor de Turespaña), established in 2013 to enhance collaboration with the private sector. It comprises 11 members, 5 of which come from the private sector. The 17 autonomous regions are responsible for the promotion and regulation of tourism within their own territories. Local entities (provinces and municipalities) manage their own tourism interests, mainly in terms of promotion and dissemination of information. Total resources allocated to tourism at State level in 2015 is EUR million, a 2.18% increase over 2014, but significantly less than in This includes EUR 236 million to the Secretariat for Tourism and EUR 85 million to Turespaña. The main source of funding is the General Budget of the State. At state level there are no specific touristic taxes. Turespaña gets about 20% of its income resources from its commercial activity. The Secretariat for Tourism is responsible for a special EUR 220 million fund, not included in the General Budget, to provide loans for the modernisation of tourism destinations. In addition, a very important share of tourism expenditure comes from the 17 Autonomous Communities and their own budgets. Tourism policies and programmes The scale and diversity of existing tourism legislation is a significant hindrance. The Secretariat for Tourism has analysed the tourism laws of the 17 regional authorities, 2 Spanish cities in the coast of North Africa and 17 activity subsectors. Over the last two years there has been progress in the development of a national strategy to support harmonisation of the different regional regulations. 272

3 Spain: Organisational chart of the tourism bodies Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism Inter-Ministerial Committee for Tourism State Secretariat for Tourism (President of TURESPAÑA) Sectoral Tourism Conference Spanish Tourism Council Co-ordination boards Department for Co-operation and Tourism Competitiveness Department for Tourism Development and Sustainability Turespaña s Advisory Council State Company for Innovation and Tourism Technology Management (SEGITTUR) Spain Institute for Tourism TURESPAÑA State Network of Tourist Establishments and Facilities (PARADORES DE TURISMO DE ESPAÑA) Spanish Tourist Offices Department of Services Administration and Technology Department of Strategy and Services Department of Marketing Department of Knowledg and Tourism Studies Source: OECD, adapted from Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, The current issues for tourism are the sustainable use of natural resources (environmental, economic and social) and the need for planning and management in public tourism policies. Other key issues are seasonality and geographical diversification, away from the coast and towards higher spending markets. Spain has a wide range of relevant products including niche areas such as rural and urban tourism, gastronomy, shopping and health tourism. There is a rural tourism promotion plan for 2014, which is already giving results, and a Plan for Shopping Tourism focused on Asian markets. A new health tourism cluster has been created, with the combined efforts of different ministries and the private sector in international promotion. Other areas of diversification include: golf tourism, ecotourism and religious tourism. Policy priority areas are defined in the National and Integral Tourism Plan (PNIT) which lays down a series of objectives for the Spanish tourism sector: Boost tourism activity and profitability, Generate quality employment, Encourage market unity, Improve international ranking, Enhance the cohesion and renown of brand Spain, Favour public-private co-responsibility. Address the seasonality of tourism. These objectives will be accompanied by three instruments: boosting knowledge, entrepreneurship and training; improving tourism supply; and diversifying demand. 273

4 Emphasis is placed on strengthening the Spanish brand, and using the tourism brand as a lever to improve the overall country brand, helping to generate confidence for investing in, and trading with, Spain. Emphasis is also placed on customer satisfaction. A loyalty programme has been created along with initiatives addressing airport fees and the red tape associated with the tourism visa process. Policies also support the repositioning of mature destinations, with credit facilities for renewing tourism infrastructure, customer experience management, standardisation of accommodation rating and categorisation, bringing out the importance of Spain s cultural and natural heritage, wine and cuisine and innovation in destination management with the design of Smart Destinations and Smart Cities specially supported by SEGITTUR. In order to disseminate improved knowledge and information about the sector, there is a new approach to national tourism statistics under the National Institute of Statistics, creating synergies and reducing costs and allowing Turespaña to prioritise information analysis. To capitalise on talent and entrepreneurship, new financial instruments have been developed to facilitate access by SMEs to money for Research, Development and Innovation (R+D+I) projects and the development of innovative products. Credit lines for young entrepreneurs seek to facilitate innovative business models, to improve competitiveness in the sector and support the incorporation of young entrepreneurs and their projects. 274

5 Statistical profile Table 1. Spain: Domestic, inbound and outbound tourism TOURISM FLOWS, THOUSAND Domestic tourism Total domestic trips Overnight visitors (tourists) Same-day visitors (excursionists) Nights in all types of accommodation Hotels and similar establishments Specialised establishments Other collective establishments Private accommodation Inbound tourism Total international arrivals Overnight visitors (tourists) Same-day visitors (excursionists) Top markets United Kingdom France Germany Nordic countries Italy Nights in all types of accommodation Hotels and similar establishments Specialised establishments Other collective establishments Private accommodation Outbound tourism Total international departures Overnight visitors (tourists) Same-day visitors (excursionists) Top destinations Morocco France Italy Portugal United Kingdom TOURISM RECEIPTS AND EXPENDITURE, MILLION EUR Inbound tourism Total international receipts International travel receipts p p p International passenger transport receipts.. c.. c.. c.. c.. c Outbound tourism Total international expenditure International travel expenditure p p p International passenger transport expenditure.. c.. c.. c.. c.. c.. Not available; c Confidential data; p Provisional data Disclaimer: Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database)

6 .. Not available Disclaimer: Table 2. Spain: Enterprises and employment in tourism Number of establishments Number of persons employed Total Tourism industries Accommodation services for visitors Hotels and similar establishments Food and beverage serving industry Passenger transport Air passenger transport Railways passenger transport Road passenger transport Water passenger transport Passenger transport supporting services Transport equipment rental Travel agencies and other reservation services industry Cultural industry Sports and recreation industry Retail trade of country-specific tourism characteristic goods Other country-specific tourism industries Other industries Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database) Not available Disclaimer: Table 3. Spain: Internal tourism consumption Million EUR 2008 Domestic tourism consumption Inbound tourism consumption Internal tourism consumption Total Consumption products Tourism characteristic products Accommodation services for visitors Food and beverage serving services Passenger transport services Air passenger transport services Railways passenger transport services Road passenger transport services Water passenger transport services Passenger transport supporting services Transport equipment rental services Travel agencies and other reservation services industry Cultural services Sports and recreation services Country-specific tourism characteristic goods Country-specific tourism characteristic services Other consumption products Tourism connected products Non-tourism related consumption products Non-consumption products Source: OECD Tourism Statistics (Database)

7 From: OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016 Access the complete publication at: Please cite this chapter as: OECD (2016), Spain, in OECD Tourism Trends and Policies 2016, OECD Publishing, Paris. DOI: This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of OECD member countries. This document and any map included herein are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area. You can copy, download or print OECD content for your own use, and you can include excerpts from OECD publications, databases and multimedia products in your own documents, presentations, blogs, websites and teaching materials, provided that suitable acknowledgment of OECD as source and copyright owner is given. All requests for public or commercial use and translation rights should be submitted to Requests for permission to photocopy portions of this material for public or commercial use shall be addressed directly to the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC) at or the Centre français d exploitation du droit de copie (CFC) at contact@cfcopies.com.