Spain can expect continued tourism growth in 2015

There is no reason why the number of foreign tourists travelling to Spain should not continue to grow in 2015. That is the message Taleb Rifai, the director general of the United Nations World Tourism Organization gave to Xinhua in an exclusive interview.

Spain enjoyed a record year for tourism numbers in 2014 as approximately 64.4 million foreigners visited the country during the year, making the country one of the top tourist destinations in the world.

Speaking from his office in Madrid, Rifai confirmed that the number of international tourists had grown by seven percent and the income generated from tourism grew by four percent.

Tourists provided a massive boost for the service sector and also played a major role in bringing unemployment down over the summer months, helping to reduce the number of people out of work to 23.7 percent by the end of the year, buoyed mainly by over 340,000 people finding work in the service sector.

One reason Spain has been such a hot spot for tourists in recent years is a decline in visitors to tourist destinations such as Greece and North Africa due to economic and political circumstances. Rifai said he was confident any recovery in these regions would not affect Spain this year.

"Spain will continue its growth for certain," he told Xinhua, explaining the Spanish tourist sector had not "built its claim to fame based on the challenges of other countries, now or in the future."

"Spain's good performance is down to Spain's good work in organizing its forces in a flexible and adjusted manner to meet the new needs of the markets," continued the UNWTO director general.

"If other nations perform well, it will not affect Spain," insisted Rifai, who was optimistic that a recovery of markets such as Greece, Portugal and Italy, was "good for Spain," as it would bring more people into the Mediterranean area, while also boosting the economies of the above nations, who in turn could become more important source markets for their near neighbor.

Spain has also worked hard to develop its appeal beyond sun, sea, and sand, with gastro-tourism and eco-tourism becoming especially important, while cities such as Madrid and Barcelona have become havens for shoppers.

"Sun, beach, and leisure holidays will remain the backbone of tourism, but diversification is growing and will continue to do so, and cultural and eco-tourism can expect a boost from raised consciousness and a need to protect the environment," said Rifai. Endit