Destination Development and
Institutionalization Strategies
In the OIC Member Countries
67
4.1.2 Spain
Background
Besides the Mediterranean sun-and-beach offering, Spain’s other resources include cultural heritage in the
form of monuments, towns and otherwise architecturally significant buildings. The country boasts an
immense range of resources as it possesses a long history of heritage from the Moors and later from the
Spanish Empire, which can be seen in the abundance of monuments across the country.
The main inflow of tourists to Spain is through leisure tourism and they are drawn by what is perhaps the
country’s main attraction: the climate. Spain has many hours of sunlight compared to other countries in
Europe and the temperature, coupled with the coast, makes for an excellent holiday setting. This is confirmed
by the fact that tourism in Spain began as a coastal phenomenon and evolved from there, branching into
different subsectors.
Tourism is one of the largest economic sectors in Spain, accounting for around 16% (direct, indirect and
knock-off effects) of the GDP in 2016,238 receiving an increasing number of visitors every year and hitting a
record of 68.5million according to the UNWTO’s 2017 Travel and TourismCompetitiveness Annual Report. 239
Table 13: Spain Competitiveness Statistics240
International tourist arrivals (million) 68.5
International tourism inbound receipts (million) $ 56,468
Average receipts per arrival $ 824.1
Travel and Tourism% of GDP 5.8
Travel and Tourism employment (%) 5.2
Source: UNWTO 2017 Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Annual Report
Destination Development Institutional Strategies
The focus of this case study is on two destination management organizations from the most successful
destinations of choice formost tourists visiting Spain, namely Barcelona and Granada. In the first case, we will
focus on the city DMO, while for the second the provincial DMO is analyzed.
Tourism in Barcelona is relatively recent. In the 1960s tourism developed on the coast of Catalonia. Hosting
the Olympic Games in Barcelona in the year 1992 drew to the world’s attention the singular and photogenic
architecture wealth of the city. The city grew rapidly and successfully as a tourist destination that current
strategic plans are focused onmanaging tourism to improve the experience for both for visitors and residents.
Barcelona’s architectural singularity is represented principally by the Gothic Quarters and Gaudi’s works
scattered across the city, with Gaudi’s church La Sagrada Familia, which received a record of 4.5 million
238 El turismo, motor de la economía, representa el 16% del PIB nacional [Web log post]. (2017, June 7). Retrieved from
239 United Nations World TourismOrganization. (2017). Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Annual Report.
240 Ibid.