This new strategy requires innovation, new marketing and business models; the
sustainable management of destinations; new forms of communication; and an emphasis on
customer welfare in the broadest sense, with special attention to health and the environment.
Brand Spain acts as a lever to improve the overall brand image of the country – not just as
a tourism destination – and to enhance awareness and positive perceptions. Co-ordination
and co-operation between the main players in Spain’s tourism industry, as well as with all
other stakeholders, are key to building and promoting Brand Spain for the benefit of the
industry, government and local communities. The tourism sector plays an important role in
this initiative. A new marketing strategy was adopted in 2012, providing a methodology for
prioritising investment by individual markets, products and segments, as well as for
pursuing differentiated positioning in the various segments targeted.
Reducing seasonality: The negative effect of seasonality on Spain’s tourism performance
is reflected in the use of tourism infrastructure, the fast turnover of staff, and the declining
service quality. This requires urgent measures to incentivise low-season demand for travel in
and to Spain. AENA (Aeropuertos Nacionales y Navegación Aérea), the state body responsible for
airports, has been tasked with developing a new, flexible scheme for airport landing and
other charges, based on the number of travellers and the capacity of each airport it manages.
Visa facilitation: Given the strong growth in demand for tourist visas from emerging
markets, as well as their future growth potential, the Spanish government is looking at
ways of simplifying visa processing and ensuring faster delivery of visas. The aim is to
optimise visa services, enhance tourism demand from markets that require visas, reduce
bureaucracy, and cut costs.
New legal and fiscal measures are being considered to improve the tourism operating
environment – especially in small towns that attract unsustainable numbers of tourists at
peak times of the year – to avoid the commoditisation of tourism products, and to help
Spanish businesses and destinations reshape and adapt their tourism offer to meet the
needs of new, niche markets and segments.
In addition, in a move to improve the competitiveness of Spain’s tourism products, a
uniform system of classification and categorisation of hotels, rural establishments and
camping sites is being developed. Regional governments will be encouraged to adopt the
homogenous rating system for the benefit of the country’s tourism overall.
Other measures include leveraging the cultural wine-making and gastronomic
heritage of Spain, which is a major attraction for tourists, and which helps to differentiate
Spain’s tourism offer from that of its competitors. The aim is to increase awareness of the
local cuisine and wines of different regions and develop appropriate tour products to
attract new business.