Optimistic Forecast for Spain's Tourism Sector in 2025 Following Record Visitor Numbers This Year
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Barcelona, Dec 15 (NationPress) Spain is poised to record a remarkable number of visitors this year, with around 95 million foreign tourists arriving in the country and generating a revenue exceeding 2 billion euros ($2.10 billion), according to the Spanish tourist industry organization Mesa de Turismo.
As the number of foreign visitors rebounds to levels seen before the pandemic, Spain's tourism sector seems to have fully bounced back from the health crisis and is now looking forward with a sense of hope, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
In Barcelona, a prominent vacation spot in both Spain and Europe, the Barcelona Tourism Consortium aims to leverage tourism to transform the city.
"The COVID experience was traumatic and taught us that we have an opportunity to use tourism to continue transforming our cities, to attract investment, to reach out to the world, to give recognition to new projects from abroad while making our identity and our culture known to the world," stated Mateu Hernandez, managing director of the Barcelona Tourism Consortium, in an interview with Xinhua.
He emphasized that the focus is on attracting individuals who seek to occupy hotel accommodations by presenting them with an extraordinary variety of options.
According to Mesa de Turismo, foreign tourists to Spain have thus far spent 11 percent more than in the previous year, and Spanish cities are aiming to draw in more high-spending international visitors next year by concentrating on areas such as gastronomy, art and culture, festivals, and congresses and conventions.
To meet these ambitions, Hernandez noted that utilizing technology is "fundamental."
"We're investing more than 5 million euros into a technological platform that will enable us to predict and enhance our visitors' experience," he remarked.
The organization is currently working on a mini-program for the WeChat messaging app that is set to launch early next year, designed to assist Chinese visitors in making the most of their stay in the city.
"We're aiding the tourism sector in understanding the consumption and behavior patterns of Chinese travelers, which differ from those of North American or European tourists, and thus we are learning from China to better provide the experiences that Chinese visitors desire," Hernandez added.
This year, the average spending per Chinese traveler in Spain has soared, reaching 3,123 euros ($3,276.18) per trip, marking a 25 percent increase compared to 2019, according to the Spanish tourism board, Turespana.
