Sustainability must be at the heart of Spain's tourism future

The alliance between the UK and Spain in tourism is a very special one, and it has been my honour to lead the dynamic Spanish Tourist Office team in London over the past five years, supported by my brilliant deputy director, Pedro Medina.

 

To illustrate the importance of the UK market to Spain, let me share just one statistic: the annual expenditure of British tourists in Spain is equivalent to 1.6% of Spanish GDP. Our responsibility to protect and nurture this relationship is therefore significant.

 

When we arrived in London in September 2021, the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic were still being felt. While supporting tourism recovery, we focused on a strategy that placed sustainability at its core.

 

Travel Weekly was a natural ally in driving this agenda, and together we collaborated on two major initiatives. The first was the TW Sustainability Summit (2021), which we supported as main sponsor. The second was the Ultimate Escape fam trip for travel agents.

 

The impact of Covid-19 on tourism was unprecedented and travel agents in particular were hit hard, often unfairly left out of government support packages globally.

 

We wanted to express our sincere appreciation to British travel agents, so together with our regional tourist offices, we hosted 80 agents and partners across Andalusia, Galicia, the Balearics and Valencia to relax and enjoy Spain as our guests.

 

Alongside our commitment to travel agents, we strengthened relations with tour operators. In 2022, we launched the annual sustainability award for Best Tour Operator to Spain with Wanderlust, a champion of responsible travel, and Abta invited us to join its Sustainability Committee.

 

However, when it comes to reinventing a tourism model fit for the future, we know the challenge is significant. To succeed, we must think not just outside the box, but beyond it – focusing not only on promotion and marketing, but also on tourism policy and international relations.

 

In 2023, we launched the first Spain Sustainability Day, later renamed Spain Talks. This initiative encourages meaningful dialogue between Spain and the UK and provides a platform for knowledge exchange.

 

Leading on sustainability means confronting uncomfortable but necessary debates for our industry, including aviation emissions, tourism taxes and capacity management. In this context, pioneering destinations such as Barcelona, Benidorm and Mallorca have shared their approaches to advancing social sustainability.

 

Destination management is central to reinventing tourism. That is why we convened the mayors of eight of Spain’s most visited destinations for an open dialogue with CEOs from Britain’s largest tour operators at the Spanish Embassy last year.

 

This initiative ultimately led to the milestone Memorandum of Understanding signed in June in Madrid between the Spanish Ministry of Tourism and Abta.

 

In simple terms, it is a commitment to working collaboratively to reshape tourism growth through sustainability, digitalisation and smarter destination management.

 

For me, tourism at its best is rooted in genuine human connections – the antithesis of fast tourism – which is why our slow travel campaign is so important. It encourages deeper exploration of Spain and stronger engagement with local people and culture, delivering more enriching and rewarding experiences for both visitors and communities.

 

Our aim is to attract a wider spectrum of holidaymakers while encouraging our loyal market to discover more of the country and embrace Spain’s many sustainable travel options.

 

We believe tourism can be a force for good. In support of accessible tourism and social inclusion, we launched our "Spain for All" campaign in December 2022. It reflects our commitment to welcoming all visitors, improving accessibility, eliminating discrimination and promoting diversity within the travel sector.

 

We established an advisory board to identify challenges and opportunities and define a roadmap for progress, appointing the distinguished hispanophile Ade Adepitan as our ambassador.

 

Inclusivity remains a priority for Spain, and in May 2025 we were delighted to be elected Chair of Antor. We strongly believe that constructive collaboration between destinations, in a spirit of mutual respect, is essential.

 

At the end of the summer, Pedro and I will return to Madrid, but we do so with optimism. Spain is moving in the right direction.

 

Our 2030 Tourism Sustainability Strategy, legislation to increase the minimum air-conditioning temperature by one degree Celsius, the Balearics’ circularity plan for tourism businesses, and the Canary Islands’ commitment to reduce carbon emissions by 50% over the next eight years are all positive examples.

 

It has been a true pleasure and privilege to work with so many outstanding British travel industry partners. Without their passion and commitment, progress would be far more difficult.

 

Sustainability is not a slogan.