Spain is a world leader in tourism. In 2019, this sector represented the last year that we can take as a reference – 12.3% of GDP and 13.7% of Social Security affiliation. Our country ranked second in the world in spending by tourists, with 89,856 million euros, and also in the number of foreign visitors received, with more than 83 million international tourists. Since 2015, Spain has held the title of the most competitive country in the world in tourism, according to the World Economic Forum. However, the Spanish tourism sector is currently facing the most delicate situation in its history, as a consequence of the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Faced with such an impact, our tourism sector requires urgent actions for its transformation. It is essential to implement a strategy to modernize and improve competitiveness, addressing the challenges of tourism in Spain and preparing the sector for the major pending transformations, especially in the field of sustainability and digitization. The objective is to maintain Spain's leadership in terms of tourism competitiveness, incorporating the necessary transformations of the model. This plan, which will be financed with 3,400 million euros from European Next Generation EU funds, pursues the modernization of the Spanish tourism sector from a comprehensive perspective, including different strategic areas of action such as the sustainability of destinations and tourism products, the promotion of energy efficiency and the circular economy in the sector and with it its decarbonization, the preservation of the historical heritage for tourist use, the management and coordination of the housing market for tourist use, the implementation of specific resilience plans in non-mainland destinations, the digital transformation of the tourism sector or the strengthening of trade in tourist areas, as well as boosting the economy of "emptied" or rural Spain, based on the use of its natural and endogenous resources, taking advantage of the dynamic nature of tourist activity.
Spain is a world leader in tourism. In 2019, this sector represented the last year that we can take as a reference – 12.3% of GDP and 13.7% of Social Security affiliation. Our country ranked second in the world in spending by tourists, with 89,856 million euros, and also in the number of foreign visitors received, with more than 83 million international tourists. Since 2015, Spain has held the title of the most competitive country in the world in tourism, according to the World Economic Forum. However, the Spanish tourism sector is currently facing the most delicate situation in its history, as a consequence of the crisis triggered by the Covid-19 pandemic. Faced with such an impact, our tourism sector requires urgent actions for its transformation. It is essential to implement a strategy to modernize and improve competitiveness, addressing the challenges of tourism in Spain and preparing the sector for the major pending transformations, especially in the field of sustainability and digitization. The objective is to maintain Spain's leadership in terms of tourism competitiveness, incorporating the necessary transformations of the model. This plan, which will be financed with 3,400 million euros from European Next Generation EU funds, pursues the modernization of the Spanish tourism sector from a comprehensive perspective, including different strategic areas of action such as the sustainability of destinations and tourism products, the promotion of energy efficiency and the circular economy in the sector and with it its decarbonization, the preservation of the historical heritage for tourist use, the management and coordination of the housing market for tourist use, the implementation of specific resilience plans in non-mainland destinations, the digital transformation of the tourism sector or the strengthening of trade in tourist areas, as well as boosting the economy of "emptied" or rural Spain, based on the use of its natural and endogenous resources, taking advantage of the dynamic nature of tourist activity.
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