Would you like to spend the winter in Benidorm? I guess it depends on the alternatives, but I wasn’t surprised recently to hear of a couple, both in their late-sixties, from Wolverhampton who spend January and February in the Spanish town. They’re not alone; last year over a million Brits chose Benidorm as a holiday destination.
Is success turning into excess? The locals in some tourist hotspots certainly seem to think so
It’s not just the Brits and Benidorm; tourism is booming throughout Spain. In 1954, when Spain began promoting package holidays, there were only one million foreign tourists. Last year there were 85 million and the forecast for 2024 is for up to a hundred million. Indeed, it seems likely that Spain may soon overtake France as the world’s most visited country.
One of Spain’s key industries, tourism is now generating about 13 per cent of GDP. William Chislett of the Elcano Royal Institute, an international affairs think-tank in Madrid, reports that
Comments
Join the debate for just $5 for 3 months
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for $5.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just $5 for 3 monthsAlready a subscriber? Log in