In the context of the optimistic data reported by the hotel sector in Spain predicting even more profitable summer than in 2016, there are several threats to the stability of the Spanish tourism industry identified by the industry experts.
The hotel occupancy rates are currently exceeding 80 percentage points. The number of foreign tourist arrivals is estimated to exceed 80 million this year. Yet, overtourism, security, lack of regulation and investments are serious issues that the industry stakeholders should address.
The massive influx of tourists has been troubling Spain for a long time now. Locals are getting worried about losing the whole country, its culture and atmosphere to the crowds of tourists that flood the cities of Madrid and Barcelona and other regions every year.
The Minister of Energy, Tourism and the Digital Agenda, Álvaro Nadal, was already suggesting a few days ago that Spain is poised to overtake France in terms of tourism volume but for the experts, it is no longer necessary for Spain to beat any more records. Juan Molas, President of “CEHAT”, made it clear that: “The time has come when the increase of travelers during the high season is no longer good news; the extent of that increase and its effect of seasonality constitutes a structural problem for Spanish tourism industry”.
Accroding to Cayetano Soler from “PWC España's” the government should act quickly on this issue and regulate Spanish tourism.
He also added that more attention should be paid to security. “Although Spain is considered a safe country, any violent incident would seriously affect the country's tourism industry.”
Another problem of the Spanish tourism industry is the lack of promotion and regulation. “A series of measures should be implemented in order to showcase the tourism industry's value,” he explained.
Spain's tourism companies should also invest more in technology and customer care, especially since they are faced with the potential recovery of future competitors who are currently going through a transitional period. “It is an ideal time to undertake a transformation in technology and customer care,” Soler underlined.