Vocabulary

Video

Transcript

 
Let’s talk about Spain. The economy has been growing faster than most of its neighbors recently, and that’s in great part due to its tourism industry, which contributes around 13% of GDP growth and, once again, is breaking records.

However, not everyone is happy about the growth of tourism in Spain, which is now seeing a backlash in many parts of the country. Guy Hedco reports from Malaga:

 
For more than half a century, a tourism model based on sun and sand has been a driving force for the Spanish economy — and today it’s a main reason why the country’s GDP is growing faster than almost all its European neighbors.

This year, nearly 100 million foreign visitors are expected, a new record.

Jose Luis Zoreda, CEO Exceltur Tourism Association: “We have been responsible in the last years for the most important percentage of growth of our economy. In 2023, we were responsible for 80% of the whole GDP growth of Spain because other sectors were not growing neither at the speed nor at the level of tourism.”

 
But Spain’s relationship with tourism seems to be at a tipping point: a backlash has started as the country counts the cost of an industry which has been so lucrative.

Popular holiday destinations like the Canary Islands and the Balearics have seen protests by local people upset at the impact tourism is having on their home environment.

The southern city of Malaga staged a similar demonstration. Much of the anger is caused by the high number of apartments used as short-term tourist accommodation. In Malaga, nearly a third of all properties are in this category.

Kike Espana, Malaga Tenants’ Union: “In this city has been developed in a way that the prices are going so high that now people who work and live here cannot really afford an apartment.

You feel like you are in a theme park, that everything is not really for living there.”

This discontent has triggered discussion of possible ways of controlling arrivals or even rethinking Spain’s tourism model.

Francisco Fermenia Serra, Lecturer, Complutense University: “If we want to really talk about sustainable tourism or a lower number of tourists, we should discuss limits to the activity and higher restrictions and more regulation of the sector, which until now has been kind of free to act.

But right now we need to start putting some limits.”

Malaga is one of several Spanish cities which are planning on introducing restrictions on the granting of licenses for short-term accommodation.

But Barcelona is going even further, and in 2028, it plans to revoke the licenses of all of its 10,000 or so tourist apartments.

But as Spain’s popularity as a tourist destination shows no sign of fading, many are asking whether the country’s success is still a good thing.”

Guy Hedco, BBC News, Malaga.

Questions

 
Malaga. Spain is currently in an economic slump. True or false?

Madrid. Are the main drivers of Spain’s economic growth agriculture, industry, finance and high-tech?

Barcelona. Are all Spaniards thrilled and excited with millions of tourists visiting their cities and islands? What have they been doing?

Valencia. Their main gripe is that foreigners refuse to learn and speak Spanish with the locals. Is this right or wrong?

Seville. Do professors and ordinary people want more, less or the same amount of tourists visiting their communities?

Cordoba. Spanish cities plan on imposing tourist visas on foreigners. Is this correct or incorrect?

Granada. Will foreigners be turned off by Spain as a tourist destination?
 
 
 
Bilbao. I was born in Spain. I live in Spain. I have visited Spain. Yes or no?

The Pyrenees. Do you and your friends find Spain alluring and enchanting? What is Spain’s image or branding?

Andalusia. Would you like to visit Malaga, Barcelona, Mallorca, Canary Islands?

Catalonia. Do many tourists visit your city, region and country? Who are they? Where do they come from?

Canary Islands. Would you city and region like to see more, fewer or the same about of tourists?

Majorca, Ibiza. What might happen in the future?

Gibraltar. What could or should locals, tourists, businesses and governments do?