The Diplomat
The Government plans to spend 3.8 million euros in the first four months of 2023 to finance the promotion of international tourism abroad.
This was agreed in the Council of Ministers last Tuesday, the same day that it was announced that Spain had received 8.8 million foreign tourists in August, adding fifteen months of consecutive increases, after the hiatus caused by the pandemic.
With the approval of the General State Budget, the funding, charged to residual appropriations from 2022, will be used to finance the operational plan of the Tourism Offices for the financial year 2023, with the aim of maintaining stability in the flow of tourism over the coming years.
Spain has 33 tourism offices abroad in 25 countries around the world, serving 47 different markets. These funds will allow “the negotiation of promotional activities, which is carried out in the last quarter of the previous year with autonomous communities, local entities, public and private sector entities and relevant partners in the issuing markets, to be carried out with the guarantee of economic availability that allows for maximum efficiency and the best results in the actions”, the government has argued.
The aim of the promotional work is to improve the image and positioning of Spain as a tourist destination, boost the attraction and loyalty of tourists, support sales of Spain and improve connectivity with the country. In the context of emerging competitiveness and the alarming rise in prices, the government intends to make a large outlay to ensure that the image of the Spain brand remains intact as the preferred destination for Germans and Britons.
The emergence of new destinations in the Mediterranean, such as Greece, Croatia and Turkey, has put the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism under pressure. After a summer with a historic influx of tourists, it wants to maintain stability throughout the year, and for this it sees the need for funding for the country’s international promotion.
