spain tourism marketing strategy

Sustainable tourism strategy of Spain 2030

Objective of sustainable tourism strategy of spain 2030.

The government of Spain, through the secretariat of state of tourism, is developing the strategy of Sustainable Tourism of Spain 2030, a national agenda of tourism to meet the challenges of the sector in the medium and long term, and promote the three pillars of sustainability: socio-economic, environmental and territorial. It has promoted a participatory process are getting the sector and the autonomous communities.

The objective of the new strategy is to lay the foundations of the transformation of the spanish tourism into a sustained and sustainable growth, which will enable us to maintain its position as a world leader. The new model, will be supported in improving the competitiveness and profitability of industry, natural and cultural values spreads destinations, and the equitable distribution of benefits and burdens of tourism.

As a document prior to the design of this strategy of Sustainable Tourism is now presented this report, which defines the strategic guidelines of this new agenda, to analyse the challenges ahead that will face the tourist sector in the next decade.

The future strategy of Sustainable Tourism of Spain 2030 is a compromise and a plan which should contribute to the achievement of the Agenda of the ODS 2030 of United nations.

Why is it necessary to produce a new strategy of tourism?

Spain is a world leader in the tourism sector, and constitutes one of the main pillars of our economy, source of income (provides 11.7 per cent of gdp) and employment generation, used to 12.2 per cent of all in Spain.

It takes 40 years to drive the growth of this sector. Over the last few decades the strategies have been evolving, tourism “ sun and beach ” strategies that focus more on quality. However, the industry now faces new challenges, profound changes in social and productive sectors, which require a new vision and the adoption of new formulas allowing this sector to maintain and strengthen its results.

Foundations for a new model of sustainable tourism

The strategy proposes a model of growth for the next few years based on the following principles:

Sustained economic partner , which should work in favour of competitiveness and profitability of the sector, products and accelerating the process of transformation.
Preservation of natural and cultural values , on the basis that the conservation of our extensive cultural and natural heritage is a priority objective.
Social benefit in order to achieve a sharing of benefits in the sector, and challenges such as the depopulation of rural areas in Spain.
Participation and governance support, participatory governance mechanisms between the state and the competent authorities at all levels.
Permanent adaptation given that this is not only look to the quality and improvement, but also to enable the industry has responsiveness to the new environment of constant change.
Leadership , which aims at strengthening the role of Spain as a world leader in the sector.

Strategic axes

Set the objective and the foundations of the Plan defines the five strategic priorities of the new government's Agenda for the tourist industry.

Collaborative governance.
Sustainable growth.
Competitive transformation.
Tourist area, companies and individuals.
Product marketing, tourism and intelligence.

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Next stop for Spanish tourism excellence: Sustainability

Tourism is vital to Spain. The country’s natural attractions and cultural assets draw crowds from around the world—making many of its communities reliant on tourism. Pre-pandemic, Spain was the second-largest tourism destination in the world, drawing 84 million visitors in 2019 who brought over €92 billion in revenue. 1 “Spain: Economic and infrastructural situation,” Climate ADAPT, Climate ADAPT website, updated March 15, 2021; “Satellite account of tourism in Spain,” INE, January 7, 2022. Travel and tourism accounted for around 14 percent of Spain’s total GDP and provided one in eight jobs. In some communities, tourism contributed to over 20 percent of all economic activity . While these figures plummeted during COVID-19, travel and tourism is recovering and Spain remains dependent on success in tourism.

Spain’s tourism sector now faces new challenges. Fears of a global recession, and geo-political uncertainty, could put pressure on tourism. And as travel resumes in an era of high inflation, Spain will likely face stiff competition from several destinations that also offer sunshine and coastal vacations at similar, or lower, prices—Egypt, Greece, and Turkey, for example.

The sector also faces physical and economic threats due to climate change. The Mediterranean basin is getting warmer: the number of days above 37°C in southern Spain is expected to double by 2050 and rising temperatures increase the risk of drought, water stress, wildfires, and floods. 2 “ A Mediterranean basin without a Mediterranean climate? ” McKinsey Global Institute, May 2020. Extreme weather is already evident as the pre-summer season of 2022 saw temperatures climb above 40°C in Seville. 3 “Spain is hit by the hottest pre-summer heatwave for 20 years as temperatures climb to 43 C,” Euronews, June 14, 2022. An increase in the number of “too hot” days could discourage tourism, particularly in peak season. For instance, a 2022 survey by a travel insurance company found that 65 percent of UK holiday makers thought Spain would be too hot to visit by 2027. 4 Charlotte Elton, “Spain, Greece, Turkey: Most Brits think holiday hotspots will be ‘too hot’ to visit by 2027,” Euronews, September 9, 2022.

Of course, Spain’s tourism sector cannot combat climate change alone. But this backdrop underscores the urgency to act. Globally, tourism is a significant contributor to emissions, and Spain can play a role in emissions reduction. In 2019, tourism was responsible for about 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions, worldwide. Of this, the largest emissions came from domestic and international tourism in China, India, and the United States. Compared to these top three, Spain ranks at number 16 for emissions from tourism. 5 Sustainability in travel 2021: Quantifying tourism emissions for destinations, Skift Research, June 2021. Considering the size of Spain’s tourism industry, the country compares well against these destinations, but there is room for improvement.

Spain can set itself apart by prioritizing sustainability, including environmental issues such as water usage, plastic waste, carbon emissions, and social issues such as how tourism affects local communities. Globally, travelers are becoming more aware and are seeking out vacations with less impact on the environment and on local communities. Sustainability could become a key differentiator.

Furthermore, sustainable travel could draw discerning premium travelers who will likely be willing to pay for offerings that uphold their values. But efforts to draw these travelers will need to extend beyond marketing and involve real operational changes. Gen Z travelers, in particular, don’t care what tourism businesses say about their sustainability efforts, they want to see it in practice. 6 Dawit Habtemariam, “Tourism’s sustainability pitch needs to be more subtle for Gen Z,” Skift, March 8, 2023. Gen Zs, who typically have a heightened awareness of climate change, are looking for eco-friendly accommodation options. Skift found that 38 percent of Gen Zs across the world would consider staying in green accommodation on their next holiday, compared to the 33 percent response rate of those over 25. 7 Mary Ann Ha, “Meeting the high expectations of the Gen Z traveler: New report,” Skift, June 21, 2022.

This article examines the key aspects of sustainability that are relevant to travel and tourism and suggests ways in which stakeholders across Spain’s tourism sector could prioritize and invest in sustainable offerings. Such actions can ensure that this important sector remains competitive, and help to safeguard its assets for future generations.

Spain is a leading destination, but faces strong competition and a tough operating environment

The physical and economic consequences of climate change, global economic environment, strong competition, and changing consumer preferences all put pressure on the sector. Worldwide, rising inflation could prompt consumers to cut back on travel, or “downtrade” to cheaper destinations. While “revenge travel” boosted tourism as travel restrictions eased, the threat of a looming recession could dampen appetite for travel.

European travelers want to visit beaches that are conveniently close, warm, and affordable. The largest outbound markets for sun and beach tourism include Germany, the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Austria. Spain is a popular destination for sun and sand, accounting for almost one-third of international overnight trips to the EU’s coastal areas in 2021. 8 Eurostat dataset: Nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by degree of urbanization and coastal/non-coastal area, accessed January 18, 2022. But, Spain competes with other destinations, in the Mediterranean and beyond, that cater to these tourists.

Even if overall demand falls, select locations across the country are at risk of over-tourism. Pre-COVID-19, a World Economic Forum report placed Spain first out of 140 competitive countries in travel and tourism. 9 The Travel & Tourism competitiveness report 2019, World Economic Forum, September 4, 2019. The report warned that one-third of international arrivals are concentrated in the top ten countries, and this concentration can lead to severe pressure, and negative effects, on tourism infrastructure and services as well as local populations.

Several Spanish beach destinations have struggled with unruly visitors, and some cities have experienced an anti-tourism backlash in the wake of overcrowding. 10 “Irish tourist seriously injured in fall from balcony in Spain,” Murcia Today, May 5, 2022; “Why Barcelona locals really hate tourists,” Independent , August 12, 2017. Authorities have stepped in to manage the situation in specific locations. For example, in 2020, Spain introduced new laws to limit alcohol consumption at all-inclusive resorts in the Balearic Islands. 11 “Britons limited to six drinks a day in Ibiza and Majorca on all-inclusive breaks,” Evening Standard, April 29, 2022. And several cities, including Madrid and Barcelona, introduced stricter regulations for private short-term accommodation rental to tourists to protect the long-term housing market. 12 “Barcelona wants to ban renting private rooms to tourists,” Bloomberg, February 5, 2021; “Barcelona takes on Airbnb,” New York Times, September 22, 2021.

These efforts could make tourism more sustainable for the long term. But the industry itself may be adding to conditions that make tourism unsustainable for the local workforce. Seasonality is a major hurdle in this regard. The country’s core tourism destinations have high seasonality, leading to peaks and troughs in employment. Unemployment reaches around 20 percent in the low season (exhibit).

A focus on all aspects of sustainability can improve the sector’s (and the country’s) perception and reputation—and ultimately affect tourists’ willingness to visit.

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What sustainability means for travel and tourism.

Sustainability is becoming increasingly important to travelers. In 2022, Booking.com found that more than 70 percent of global travelers intend to travel more sustainably over the next year (a 10 percent increase on the company’s 2021 survey) and 35 percent said that the sustainability efforts of accommodation and transport providers play a strong role in their booking decisions. 13 Sustainable travel report 2022 , Booking.com.

But what does sustainable travel mean? According to the World Tourism Organization, sustainable tourism addresses the needs of visitors, the industry, the environment, and host communities based on three interdependent factors: 1) social sustainability (respect for the socio-cultural authenticity of host communities, support for local businesses, and levels of tourism that are acceptable to local communities); 2) environmental sustainability (measures to reduce environmental impact and preserve natural heritage and biodiversity); and 3) economic sustainability (business models that achieve economic growth without negatively impacting social, environmental, or cultural aspects of communities). 14 “Sustainable development,” UNWTO website.

By improving environmental and social sustainability, organizations across the travel and tourism value chain can strengthen their business models and reach economic sustainability. Without considering social and environmental factors, economic viability may be difficult to reach or maintain in the long term.

Several countries are taking an integrated approach to tourism development with the goal of becoming more resilient, sustainable, and inclusive. In some instances, this means adapting a country’s tourism offerings to reduce seasonality and the strain it puts on local infrastructure and resources. Increasing visitors in off-peak periods can lead to year-round jobs and businesses. For example, Slovenia has committed to 20 projects to transform mountain destinations into year-round resorts for active holidays outside of ski season. 15 OECD tourism trends and policies 2022, OECD. And Norway’s “Norway all year round” plan aims to spread tourist traffic across several locations and seasons. The plan intentionally does not market Norway as a cruise destination and aims to attract travelers in source markets who are available to travel all year round, and have the means to do so. 16 “Making Norway an all-year-round destination,” Sustainable Tourism in the North website.

Transforming the tourism workforce

New Zealand’s Tourism Industry Transformation Plan begins with a focus on the workforce as the core element of developing a thriving tourism system. The plan paves the way for better experiences for those within the industry as a way to deliver better outcomes for employees, businesses, and visitors.

The plan puts forward new ways of working, for instance, to improve employment standards and practices relating to decent pay and career progression, and to provide fit-for-purpose education and training.

Another innovation “embrace the flux, enable the flex” aims to reframe the tourism industry’s attitude to seasonality. Rather than the peaks and troughs being a barrier to attracting and retaining employees, the industry can use peaks and troughs to its advantage to upskill people, provide consistent employment, and reduce barriers to people holding multiple jobs across the year and across sectors.

One of the initiatives involves collaboration between tourism and conservation employers to help employees maintain stable employment, remain in regions with limited employment offerings, and support the wider community. It also enables tourism employees to gain local conservation knowledge and skills, and those workers can then share their expertise and insights with visitors and increase the value of the tourism offering in the region.

Source: Tourism Industry Transformation Plan: He Mahere Tiaki Kaimahi, Better Work Action Plan, New Zealand Government, March 2023.

Other country-level social and economic sustainability initiatives focus on the tourism workforce. New Zealand recently launched a transformation plan aimed at improving conditions for those who work in the tourism industry, as a basis for transforming the entire sector (see sidebar “Transforming the tourism workforce”).

Travel businesses have also taken steps to reduce the effects of seasonality on the local workforce, for example, by sharing staff. In Geneva, the Ice Castles attraction that has a four-month winter season shares staff with the Lake Geneva Ziplines & Adventures company. This provides extra work and helps to retain staff at both businesses each season. 17 Nathan Andrew, “How to maximize the value of tourism shoulder season,” Blend, August 2021.

The social, environmental, and economic aspects of sustainability are intertwined in global consumers’ perspectives. Booking.com respondents around the world said they chose sustainable options because they wanted to reduce their impact on the environment, have a more locally relevant experience, or believed that sustainable properties treat communities better. 18 Sustainable travel report 2022 , Booking.com.

Spanish respondents held similar views on sustainability as their global counterparts—they are concerned about waste and energy consumption, and 79 percent intend to walk, cycle, or take public transport during future trips. Respect for local communities is important, too, as 68 percent want authentic experiences that are representative of local culture. In addition, 68 percent will go out of their way to avoid popular destinations and attractions to avoid contributing to overcrowding. 19 Sustainable travel report Spain 2022 (Informe Global Sobre Turismo Sostenible 2022) Booking.com.

Considering that in 2019, 45 percent of tourism spend in Spain was domestic, Spanish traveler sentiment is particularly relevant to Spain’s tourism offerings, for locals and international tourists alike. 20 Global travel service data from Oxford Economics.

Globally, hospitality providers may be at risk of not meeting customer expectations around sustainability as there is a gap between what consumers want and what exists in the market. An earlier Booking.com survey spanning 30 countries—Spain being one of them—found that one-quarter of accommodation providers had not implemented any sustainability measures; and for those that had, only one-third actively informed their customers about the measures they had taken—and this usually happened at check-out. 21 Sustainable travel report 2021, Booking.com.

Taking action on sustainability (and actively communicating what has been done) could bridge this gap, attract new travelers, and help Spain’s tourism sector to flourish while doing good for local communities and the planet. Much of McKinsey’s research on sustainability shows that doing well and doing good are not mutually exclusive —these actions reinforce each other. Industry-wide commitment to sustainability could help to differentiate the sector, and respond to consumer needs, thereby increasing the chances of economic sustainability.

How sustainability-related initiatives provide a unique experience

Destinations around the world have demonstrated that environmental and social sustainability initiatives can protect resources and promote local communities—and become flagship projects that garner international recognition and draw visitors looking for meaningful and authentic travel experiences.

A Dutch partnership between national NGOs and local communities created a new way to maintain beaches without threatening biodiversity. The initiative involved locals and tourists and led to a new certification method, a first around the world. In 2021, Goeree-Overflakkee was awarded the first “Green Beach” certification, and in 2022 became known as the cleanest beach in the Netherlands. 1 “Green Destinations top 100 stories 2022: Together for a new standard in biodiverse green beaches,” Green Destinations website.
The Greek region of Attica was named the world’s leading sustainable tourism destination in 2022 by the World Travel Awards based on its cultural wealth, natural beauty, modern infrastructure, and the comprehensive plan implemented by the region in order to turn Attica into the first “green” region. 2 “World's leading sustainable tourism destination 2022,” World Travel Awards website.
Visitors to Hiiumaa island in Estonia usually rely on private cars to visit key attractions. To provide visitors with a lower-carbon mobility option and a more authentic, nature-based experience of the island, a local entrepreneur created an electric bicycle network (including solar power loading stations) which has become popular with tourists and locals. 3 “Green Destinations top 100 stories 2022: Carbon neutral and local, new opportunities in tourism and public transport in Estonian’s green island Hiiumaa,” Green Destinations website.
In Istria, Croatia, around half of tourists stay in small, private accommodation. Eco Domus is a certification program that teaches private accommodation providers sustainability practices on topics including water, food, health, and light and noise pollution. The aim is to provide better quality, and more sustainable, local offerings. 4 “Green Destinations top 100 stories 2022: Eco Domus, eco-friendly accommodation,” Green Destinations website.

Of course, taking action requires time, resources, and investment. Individual hotels or tourism businesses may have little incentive to redefine core offerings or invest in infrastructure to demonstrate that sustainability is important to them. But businesses that begin to differentiate themselves could reap the benefits. Many destinations in the region provide examples of how sustainable offerings can become a drawcard for visitors, and earn international acclaim and prestige (see sidebar “How sustainability-related initiatives can offer tourists a unique experience”).

green leaves blending into side of woman's face - stock photo

The path toward eco-friendly travel in China

Actions to advance sustainability across spain’s tourism sector are emerging.

Spain developed a Sustainable Tourism Strategy 2030, a national agenda to help the tourism sector address medium- and long-term challenges including socioeconomic and environmental sustainability. 22 “Sustainable tourism strategy of Spain 2030,” Spain’s Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism. Even though this national sustainability strategy is in place, there are limited mechanisms to help small businesses partake and contribute. This is particularly challenging as small- and micro-sized businesses make up the vast majority of all businesses in the country’s tourism sector. According to Statista, micro-size businesses account for around 92 percent of Spain’s travel, tourism, and hospitality businesses. Small businesses make up just over 7 percent, and medium and large businesses account for the remaining half a percent. 23 Statista, Distribution of businesses in the tourism sector in Spain in 2020 by size, June 2022.

This fragmentation can halt progress and collective action, for instance in emissions reduction. Spain’s large hospitality providers are making efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and many are pioneers in the field: Melia opened Menorca’s first carbon-neutral luxury hotel in 2022, showcasing carbon-neutral operations, “intelligent” energy-efficient buildings, and circular models for water resources. 24 Tom Otley, “Melia opens Villa Le Blanc By Gran Meliá in Menorca, Spain,” Business Traveller, July 20, 2022. Iberostar has committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2030—a target that is 20 years ahead of many other international hospitality brands. 25 “Iberostar will be carbon neutral by 2030, 20 years ahead of the industry’s global target,” Iberostar press release, November 8, 2022.

In general, smaller and medium-size providers’ goals and targets are less ambitious than those of international peers, presumably because the economic benefits of such actions are unclear, or they may fear first-mover disadvantages like higher costs. Various Spanish hotel chains have committed to reducing emissions by 20 to 35 percent, with timelines ranging from 2030 to 2035. By comparison, many international brands have committed to net zero by 2050 and have strict measures in place to achieve this.

According to the Greenview Hotel Footprinting Tool, which calculates the carbon footprint of a hotel stay anywhere in the world, Spain is among the best-performing countries in terms of low-carbon room footprint and meeting footprint. While this tool points to a strong focus on water-, waste- and emissions-reduction in Spanish hotels, it is difficult to assess what actions many smaller hotels and other tourism businesses are taking on the sustainability front.

Sustainable tourism in Valencia

Valencia claims to be the first city in the world to track the carbon footprint of all tourism activities in the city and has committed to achieving carbon-neutral tourism by 2025. 1 “Valencia becomes the first city in the world to verify and certify the carbon footprint of its tourist activity,” Valencia Tourism official website, July 10, 2020.

Valencia’s official tourism website features sustainable tourism as a key element and makes sustainable offerings visible. For instance, the website encourages visitors to reduce emissions by taking public transport or traveling by bicycle and to support the local economy by shopping at smaller, local stores. It also offers tips on how to be a “responsible tourist who is committed to the environment at all times” such as using energy and water sparingly, recycling, reducing plastic, and respecting local residents.

In this way, the city has positioned itself as “the city taking care of the planet” and made sustainability its differentiating factor.

Even though there may not be concerted and unified action on social and environmental sustainability across the sector, success stories exist of initiatives being put in place that make sustainability a key differentiator (see sidebar “Sustainable tourism in Valencia”). Sector-wide efforts could increase investment into sustainable offerings, make these more visible to tourists, and ultimately position Spain as the destination of choice for sustainable travel.

How Spain could become a sustainable destination of choice

Individual travel and tourism businesses’ environmental and social sustainability efforts need to achieve critical mass if Spain is to become known as a leading destination for sustainability-conscious travelers. These actions are also vital to preserve the sector’s economic sustainability. Collective and concerted action is required to build momentum. All stakeholders have a role to play in addressing the sector’s rationale for action, setting a clear course, and developing the support structure to achieve it.

Identify the value at stake. The sector could take a high-level view to evaluate the status quo, benchmark where Spain could be, and quantify the costs and benefits of prioritizing sustainability throughout the sector, at scale. All stakeholders including policy makers, government, and industry could jointly develop a sustainable travel concept for the sector with a clearly articulated justification for action.

Costa Rica provides an example of a national tourism strategy focused on sustainability. The industry is aligned with national objectives to protect the country’s forests and biodiversity. National parks, nature reserves, and protected areas make up around one-quarter of Costa Rican territory and the sector promotes ecotourism and sustainable offerings that support the conservation of these areas. 26 “Costa Rica, a country committed to the environment,” Aquae Fundacion, July 6, 2021.

Spain’s stakeholders could also agree on industry-wide standards, as having these in place would likely accelerate the transition to sustainable tourism. Standards that align the motivations of different stakeholders and take into account the interests of all parties have a greater chance of adoption. For example, including mandatory sustainability criteria in the hotel star rating system could bring the motivations of hotel owners and operators into alignment. 27 “The path toward eco-friendly travel in China,” McKinsey, March 14, 2023. Setting unified sector sustainability targets could also boost the credibility of sustainability claims or commitments made by individual businesses.

Define a strategy. This includes establishing initiatives to address specific concerns such as decarbonization, water usage, waste management, or overcrowding and setting targets and practical actions to achieve them. For instance, one initiative in Costa Rica—as part of its conservation effort—is a ban on single-use plastic in national parks, biological reserves, and national monuments. 28 “Costa Rica, a country committed to the environment,” Aquae Fundacion, July 6, 2021.

In another example, Iceland set a strategy to reduce seasonality—a long-standing challenge for Icelandic tourism. In 2010, close to half of travelers visited the country during the summer months of June, July, or August. The travel industry, with support from the government and others, launched an international marketing campaign to promote Iceland as a year-round destination. Winter activities such as viewing the Northern lights, snowmobiling, and glacial treks became popular with visitors. Between 2010 and 2019 the share of tourists that visited in summer fell from around 50 to 34 percent, while tourist arrivals continued to grow. 29 Icelandic Tourist Board, Isavia, visitor departure statistics.

Once the strategic direction is set, sector-wide initiatives can be put in place. In New Zealand, a collaborative and concerted effort involving public and private organizations gave rise to the Tiaki Promise, a pledge that encourages visitors to take care of the country’s natural resources: “While traveling in New Zealand, I will care for land, sea, and nature, treading lightly and leaving no trace; travel safely, showing care and consideration for all; and respect culture, traveling with an open heart and mind.” One collaborator in the initiative, Air New Zealand, released an in-flight safety video that introduced the promise to travelers. 30 Kresentia Madina “The Tiaki Promise encourages tourists to care for New Zealand’s nature,” Green Network, August 26, 2022.

It is also important to rank individual measures to address challenges to ensure that competing priorities do not hinder progress. Collective action will have the most impact if all stakeholders are committed to the same issues.

Many travel and tourism businesses across the world have developed and successfully marketed sustainable products and services, such as low-impact tourist offerings that are less harmful to the environment or local communities. In fact, many travel guides publish editions dedicated to sustainable offerings. 31 Examples include Fodor’s Green Travel: The world’s best eco-lodges and earth-friendly hotels and Lonely Planet’s The sustainable travel handbook . Spain’s tourism providers could follow suit. And the sector could make travelers more aware of existing sustainable travel options through communications campaigns to draw sustainability-conscious travelers from across the globe.

Travel and tourism businesses could also extend sustainability efforts across their value chains. Examples include working with suppliers to ensure linen and towels are sustainably produced, procuring energy-efficient equipment, or engaging local communities by sourcing local food suppliers. There are also opportunities for businesses to collaborate and design sustainable offerings that combine products and services, such as sustainability-focused tours featuring carbon-neutral accommodation, electric ground transportation, and trips to local businesses.

Globally, hotel chains have partnered with sustainability-related businesses or action groups to advance their own sustainability initiatives. These actions also help to strengthen the hotel’s brand and reputation for sustainability consciousness. For instance, the luxury hotel, resort, and spa operator Six Senses partnered with the United States Coalition on Sustainability and the action platform SustainChain in an initiative to remove single-use and disposable plastics from its operations. 32 “Six Senses is the first hospitality brand to partner with the United States Coalition on Sustainability and SustainChain,” Six Senses press release, April 26, 2021. And as part of its pathway to net zero, the Radisson Hotel Group partnered with Ecovadis, a sustainability ratings provider, in a collaboration that aims to extend the EcoVadis rating to the group’s global supply chain. 33 “Radisson Hotel Group increases focus on supply chain sustainability; announces partnership with Ecovadis,” Radisson Hotel Group press release, December 16, 2021.

Spanish tourism and hospitality providers might consider similar collaborative partnerships and initiatives to build momentum for industry-wide action and raise global travelers’ awareness that Spain is committed to sustainability.

Provide guidelines and support. Smaller businesses may lack the knowledge or resources necessary to act on sustainability. Actions could be taken to bridge knowledge gaps and secure funding, at government or industry association level. Funding programs, incentive schemes, or financial instruments can accelerate adoption of sustainable solutions, especially for smaller businesses. For example, South Africa’s Green Tourism Incentive Program targets small tourism businesses like lodges and guest houses. The program funds water- and energy-efficiency assessments and recommends the optimum green solution for the business. The bulk of the cost to implement the solution is also funded by the program. 34 “The Green Tourism Incentive Programme,” Industrial Development Corporation, October 4, 2021.

The industry could also draw on available resources and convene stakeholders to share knowledge and expertise. For instance, the World Tourism Organization provides resources and guidelines for building a circular economy, reducing food waste, and tackling plastic pollution. 35 “Sustainable development,” UNWTO website.

Regulation could be put in place to support change. Regions or cities could look to establish regulations that ensure tourism activity is environmentally and socially sustainable. Progress has been made in this regard, as the Law on Circularity and Sustainability in Tourism, approved by Parliament in May 2022, made the Balearic Islands the first sustainable destination by law. 36 “Balearic Islands, sustainable tourism is now a law,” Excellence Magazine, June 21, 2022. This regulation protects seasonal tourism workers, considers local residents’ quality of life (for instance by blocking an increase in the number of beds for the next four years), reduces waste, and protects natural resources. It will also introduce a hotel classification system based on the concrete actions taken to promote sustainable tourism.

Regulatory bodies and industry associations could also support business owners with guidance, encourage implementation through incentives, and enforce regulations through penalties for non-compliance.

Spain’s tourism sector has an opportunity to further develop existing sustainability efforts, thereby protecting the future of the sector. A sector-wide focus on environmental and social sustainability can also act as a key differentiator and draw visitors who are consciously trying to travel more responsibly. Furthermore, all stakeholders could benefit if existing initiatives, and new investments, are made more visible and attractive to tourists.

Javier Caballero is a partner in McKinsey’s Madrid office, Margaux Constantin is a partner in the Dubai office, Steffen Köpke is a capabilities and insights expert in the Düsseldorf office, and Daniel Riefer is a partner in the Munich office.

The authors wish to thank Lisa Kropacek for their contribution to this article.

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Previous touristic models

The previous models and policies for Spain were based largely on the massive advertising as a beach and sun destination, which works very successfully. Spain is considered the number one destination in Europe for the sun.

The Futures I plan of 1992 was the first major policy that the government gave in response to the challenges faced by tourist destinations and companies. This measure let the Spanish tourism sector blossom towards a model that achieved continuous growth of income, allowing it to become a leader in the beach and sun market.

After this plan, numerous other policies had encouraged competitiveness, quality, or value proposition and have had very positive results until 2015 when the Central Government abandoned the tourism sector without a proper strategy in place.

After the year 2018, it was decided that it was time to reevaluate the tourism development model that has had multiple successes in the past, but it must adapt to the new scenario marked by the continued growth, technological innovation, and changes in the market behavior.

The weakness of the current industry lies in the following: the dependence on the sun and beach marketing and product, the dependence of certain markets such as the UK and Germany, which account for 50% of the international visitors, the seasonality of the tourism sector which is mostly centered around the summertime and the saturation of citizen space in some urban destinations.

There are also other weaknesses, such as the wasted tourist potential in the rural areas of Spain, which, although it has grown, is not a viable economic alternative for many rural territories.

This new strategy will consider the threats that are currently being faced by the industry, such as Brexit. This implies a change in the legal situation of British tourists to which the tourism market largely depends, competition of the allocation of resources, climate change and its impact on water resources and coastal destinations, the progressive depopulation in the rural territories.

Therefore, to create a well thought out policy, Spain needs to consider the opportunity that arises from the expanding tourism sector, such as the increase of international and national demand, development of new tourism products, and the diversification of the markets with the incorporation of emerging markets (such as Asia).

What is the new approach?

The policy that is being prepared to be implemented for 2030 will have the following pillars: socioeconomic growth, preservation of natural and cultural values, social benefit, participation and governance, permanent adaptation, and leadership. These are all crucial as the objective of the Spanish government remains to transform the tourism sector into one that offers sustainable growth.

The first line of action will be to boost governance tools. The existing institutional coordination mechanisms must be reactivated and enable new ones when necessary, promoting the connectivity of actors with common objectives.

Secondly, a territorial policy must be developed that will create the desired impact. Thirdly, there must be an increase in the international influence of Spain from tourism; as a world leader and Member State of the EU. It must exercise its power with agenda and debates and incorporate international bodies such as UNESCO to boost tourist activity for rural territories.

There will also be an effort to promote balanced development in the territory and be more efficient in tackling that demographic challenge. There will be a promotion of sustainability as a brand value of Spanish tourism, deepening the awareness of the sector and the need for the conservation of the natural and cultural activities, preserving the character of Spain, and, in turn, the country’s values.

The benefits of the new policy

This transformative policy would help rehabilitate the landscape of Spain’s tourism sector and maintain it at a steady and sustainable growth. The diversification of the market would allow Spain to reach Asian markets more and sell products that do not involve the beach and sun market.

In turn, this would mean that the rural territories of Spain, if successful, can manage to make tourism a viable economic alternative to themselves.

Moreover, the policy will strengthen the international community and mobilize it for Spain to promote domestic and international tourism during high season and in a more sustainable manner season-wide and nationwide.

The design of this measure is so that it can have a positive effect on developing tourism and the preservation of cultural and natural resources and traditions in the country.

Spain can expect that by bringing more financial stability to the rural areas through this policy, it would mean that rural depopulation would not be as much of an issue anymore due to the availability of jobs.

Furthermore, promoting sustainability as a brand value of Spanish tourism would awaken awareness and gradually inspire tourism activity towards a circular economy and thus the protection of the environment and the urgency of the use of clean energy.

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TURESPAÑA AIMS TO REACH 1,500 MILLION EUROS FROM TOURISM REVENUES

In 2017, the Spanish economy received 172,900 million euros in tourism revenues - including direct, indirect and induced effects. This amount represent a 5.7% increase over 2016, representing 14.9% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), according to the annual report of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC).

The WTTC expects the total contribution of tourism to Spanish GDP to increase 2.9% this year and 2.3% annual average until 2028. The direct contribution of the sector in Spain increased by 7% last year, to 62,400 million of euros, which represents 5.4% of GDP.

The Spanish tourism board, Turespaña, has now launched a Strategic Marketing Plan 2018-2020 with the clear goal of generating tourism revenues of 1,500 million euros for quality tourism in the next three years. This new strategy incorporates important novelties and involves a change of culture and style in the way the promotion organization has been working so far. For the first time, the organization has set a quantified impact on its goals, and its new plan focuses on the customer and not on the product.

This strategy, which is the third Strategic Marketing Plan launched by Turespaña in the same line with the ones it has been developing since 2012, focuses its main objectives on profitability, sustainability and competitiveness.

Reaching the 1,500 million euros goal takes into account two main ideas: the attraction of cosmopolitan tourism, in both European and the United States markets, which will generate 1,150 million euros in tourism revenues; and the tourists from distant and less explored markets, coming as a result of the improvement in air connectivity, having an impact of 350 million euros.

According to the document that details the objectives of this plan, the market has been transformed into a market of demand, forcing to rethink the strategy of tourist marketing, which must be based exclusively on the tourist and not on the offer or the products, so personalized marketing actions will be carried out using online techniques.

The document also states that most of the western European destinations, which represent the main emitting markets of Spain, are in an advanced stage of maturity; some may even be in decline, such as Germany. Therefore, the organization’s CEO Manuel Butler, believes it is necessary to reinvent the product, that is to say, the regeneration of mature destinations and / or the application of a very segmented marketing plan and strategy.

Regarding the departure of the United Kingdom from the European Union, the document states that Brexit is a key issue and it is fundamental to know how this process will affect the free movement of people, the provision of medical services, air connectivity and even the double taxation system. The dependence of Spain on British tourism is very high, since it represents 22% of the international tourism that the country receives.

“Setting an economic impact for the strategic plan implies a decisive change in organizational culture to make Turespaña a structurally oriented organization to obtain macro results. A disruptive change that represents a significant additional and transversal effort,” as stated in the marketing plan.

Besides, it states that it requires “an intense work of re-adaptation for marketing plans and redesign of advertising campaigns and an indispensable work of training for the organization's personnel in the new strategy and orientation, as well as information and training of the agents of the tourism sector, companies and promotional entities, to align their activities towards the achievement of this new goal.”

The document highlights that this plan is based on the Public-Public Partnership (PuP), with autonomous communities and local entities , as well as the Public-Private Partnership (PPP), as evidenced by the fact that a large number of regions have incorporated the goal of increasing the share of cosmopolitan tourism.

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Strategic Plan

The Strategic Tourism Plan 2020 has initiated an intense process of reflection and generation of shared knowledge about tourism in the city and its effects. It has addressed the key challenge of managing tourism in the city by making it compatible with the other needs of the multiple, complex and heterogeneous city that is Barcelona.

The Strategic Tourism Plan 2020 has developed the roadmap for tourism policies for the next 5 years based on seven initial provisions that establish how to design and manage tourism. The seven initial provisions are:

The co-constitutive relationship of tourism and the city
From tourism model to tourism city
From tourist to visitor: widening the tourism spectrum
Tourism, a collective issue
The comprehensive management of tourism
Variable destination geometries
Sustainability and competitiveness: an unbeatable pairing

The criteria that guided the process of creating the Plan are:

The result of this process of reflection was the definition of a tourism strategy for Barcelona firmly aimed at guaranteeing the destination’s sustainability, promoting, fostering and demanding responsibility for the actions, practices and activities that make up the city today, shaping the city of the future.

The tourism strategy has been drafted by:

Defining 5 areas : Governance, Tourism Management, Territorial Strategy, Jobs and Enterprise, and Promotion and Marketing, between them covering 80 strategic challenges .
Defining 10 strategic programmes detailing 30 lines of action and 100 measures which must respond to strategic challenges:

Full document of the Plan

Informative material

The Plan's 10 strategic programmes are:

We have a plan for governing toruism collectively

Barcelona receives over 30 million visitors every year, a reality that means moving from a promotional strategy to another that opts for a comprehensive management of tourism, publicly-led and ensuring that tourist policies respond to the general interests of the city

Tourism requires a cross-cutting approach and a diverse range of tools, projects and players involved; coordinating and involving them are key to guaranteeing that the goals proposed under the Strategic Tourism Plan for 2020 can be achieved.

Given the global challenges that tourism raises, we in Barcelona wish to strengthen our ties with other cities and destinations, to share experiences and embark on collective projects that enable us to tackle these challenges.

We have a plan for generating and disseminating knowledge

Knowledge in the field of urban tourism is essential for managing and taking decisions. We in Barcelona are only too aware of its importance. Considerable effort has been made to generate and publish a diverse range of information on tourist activities and studies have been conducted analysing economic impact, tourist profiles and public perceptions of tourism, among other things.

This knowledge needs broadening on issues such as environmental costs and quality of jobs in the sector, and the public has to be provided with better information on tourism. The Tourism Observatory will be coordinating and spearheading this research.

Destination Barcelona

We have a plan for promoting the destination's sustainability

Sustainability is a crucial element for destination Barcelona, a goal that also aims to guarantee the competitiveness of tourist activities, to avoid jeopardising the destination's future, to improve the quality of urban life and to manage the impact of tourist activity, ensuring social return and the territory’s development.

The Strategic Plan understands sustainability from a broad perspective: social, economic and environmental, setting out a dynamic, welcoming, innovative and desirable destination on a metropolitan scale. Promotion tools, conceived as another management element, have to respond to these goals.

We have a plan for managing tourist mobility

Tourist uses of mobility, along with tourist accommodation and attractions, are one of the key aspects we propose to tackle.

We need to know our visitors’ reasons for staying here, their journeys’ seasonal variations and duration, the means of transport they use and their most frequent itineraries, so we can rethink, manage and regulate the specific practices of tourist mobility. The plan aims to put special emphasis on knowledge and managing mobility in crowded spaces such as Sagrada Família and Park Güell.

Accomodation

We have a plan to ensure responsible tourist accomodation

Barcelona has recorded a sharp increase in tourist accommodation offers over the last few years and the sudden appearance of new types, raising new challenges for planning. The plan provides for the launching of strategies that ensure tourist accommodation has a better relationship with its environment, promote its social and environmental responsibility and highlight good practices.

Approved under the framework of this strategy, the Special Urban Development Plan for Tourist Accommodation (PEUAT) continues to ensure social and economic balance in areas with greater tourist pressure while putting the priority on maintaining and attracting the resident population and preventing tourist accommodation from replacing the residential use of properties.

It also provides for active policies for fighting illegality, in collaboration with websites offering tourist accommodation, as well as the creation of a mediation service to help local residents and tourists staying in local accommodation live side by side.

Managing Spaces

We have a plan for ensuring an urban balance

Tourist activities make intensive use of certain places and neighbourhoods in the city and this has to be reconciled with the city’s ongoing, everyday life.

These areas will see the implementation of a series of measures and tools agreed to between all the public and private players, who will intervene to reduce the pressure created by large numbers of visitors and maintain the local commercial network. Policies will be implemented to counteract pressure on the property market.

We will be generating a new stable management model for crowded spaces which applies improvements agreed to between the various parties and creates wealth that is fairly and sustainably distributed.

Economic Development

We have a plan for redistributing the benefits of tourism

Ensuring the redistribution of the wealth brought by tourism for the entire population is one of the goals of the Strategic Plan. If we are to achieve that we need to take advantage of the developmental potential of tourism as a lever for launching other economic sectors, helping to strengthen the territory’s production network and integrating tourist activities into local economic development.

Initiatives are also needed for ensuring quality, inclusive, innovative and competitive jobs in the tourist sector, such as promoting establishments that create stable work conditions or launching initiatives for training and providing qualifications for the professionals providing services to the tourist industry.

Communication and Welcome

We have a plan to make communication a key tourism-management tool

Tourists coming to Barcelona do so largely because of the way we show them the city and its attractions. Having a good communication strategy is essential if we are to make tourism a sustainable and responsible activity that involves residents and visitors alike.

We need to expand our narratives on destination Barcelona, making them more diverse and dynamic in order to open up the range of possibilities for visitors beyond the city's crowd-pulling icons. We also need to coordinate the city’s tourist-communication tools, so that they respond to the goal of ensuring a sustainable destination.

The plan aims to have an impact on the information tourists receive before their stay in the city and to strengthen exchange channels before, during and after their stay.

Taxes and funding

We have a plan for compensating the impact that tourism has

What does tourism cost Barcelona? What economic benefits does it entail? The balance between costs and benefits has to be calculated and analysed if we are to know what expense tourism represents out of the municipal coffers and what activities create more or less income and expenditure.

The plan provides for designing a tourist-tax investment and funding plan, exploring other tax measures as management tools and taxing activities that cause more externalities and which affect daily life in the city: intense use of public space, property pressure, environmental impact, among other things. In short, this is about having more planning tools at our disposal that also ensure a fairer redistribution.

Regulation and planning

We have a plan for the regulations to safeguard the right to the city

The plan strengthens resources for inspecting and pursuing illegality, especially in the realm of accommodation, and provides for reviewing urban-planning tools to tackle the effects of tourist activities on the city, from metropolitan to neighbourhood scales.

The last few years have seen the rise of completely new phenomena linked to the city’s tourists uses, which current byelaws do not cover. That is why they need to be changed and new ones established where needed, such as economic activities in spaces with greater volumes of visitors or unregulated offers of accommodation.

2022 Evaluation of the Strategic Tourism Plan 2020 Evaluation of the Strategic Tourism Plan 2020
2021 Tourism Marketing Strategy for Destination Barcelona (EMTDB) Strategy
2019 Situation, characteristics and effects of work in the tourism sector Report (CAT)
2017 Tourist Mobility Strategy in Barcelona Report (CAT) Government measure (CAT) Addendum 1 (CAT) Addendum 2 (CAT) Addendum 3
2017 Strategic Plan for Tourism 2020 Strategic Plan Strategic Diagnosis Proposals for action (CAT) Executive Summary
2015 Strategic Plan for Tourism 2010-2015: Evaluation of the Programme of Action Evaluation report (CAT)
2015 Boost to the participation process on Barcelona's tourism model Government measure

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Tourism and Leisure

Spain, a world leader in tourism .

Spain leads the world in tourism. Since 2015 it has placed first on the World Economic Forum (WEF) podium, which awards the most competitive countries in the tourism industry from among 140 economies.

Spain 1º /140

Travel&Tourism Competitiveness Index, 2019

Since 2017 it has broken the record in number of visitors: thanks to the more than 83 million tourists arriving in Spain, every year it is recognized as the second most visited country in the world, after France. The United States and China follow.

Spain's success in the tourism industry is due especially to its rich cultural and natural attractions, but also to its exceptional infrastructures, the quality of its transportation and hotel density. These are the three key points that the WEF considers essential to having a competitive advantage over other countries in tourism.

The tourism industry is an important engine of the Spanish economy and employment (2.5 million jobs). The strong public policies backing the industry, with public-private collaboration, and a clear orientation towards a sustainable and quality tourism model, ensure that about half of the tourism industry’s internal expenses are met by international visitors (tourists spend around 90 billion euros).

Catalonia, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Andalusia and the Community of Valencia are the Spanish regions that welcome the most tourists.

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Why invest in the tourism and leisure industry in Spain?

Spain upholds its position year after year in competitiveness and demonstrates that this industry offers great investment opportunities.

World leader in the industry. Second country in the world by number of visitors.

According to the World Economic Forum, Spain leads the Travel + Tourism Competitiveness Index

4th country in the world in UNESCO World Heritage Sites (53 sites). Historic cities, outstanding monuments and museums.

With 49 Natural Areas and Natural Spaces, UNESCO declares Spain to be the country with the highest number of biosphere reserves in the world, followed by the United States, Russia and China.

More than 300 days of sun a year and over 2,000 km of green slopes; various ski facilities; rural activities; wellness. Spain is distinguished for the number of its beaches awarded the Blue Flag eco-label, compared to other countries like Greece and Turkey.

The exceptional quality and variety of Spanish gastronomy is world renowned

Spain is one of the safest countries on Earth. According to the Global Peace Index, it is one of the 25 safest countries in the world.

It has an outstanding and modern public health system with very high standards.

Infrastructures. High-level land, rail and air connectivity, and second only to Korea in digital infrastructure.

What are the best investment opportunities?

Cultural heritage tourism, health tourism and gastronomic tourism

MICE Tourism

One of the best sources for business opportunities is digital transformation in the tourism industry. It is based around four mainstays: cloud solutions, mobile devices, the internet of things (IoT) and the sharing economy.

Cloud solutions

Developing new business models
e-Commerce integration solutions and advanced customer relationship management (ERP, CRM)
Centralization, efficiency and savings in ICT management
Customer relations and internal collaboration models
Insights and big data monitoring

Mobile devices

Customization and customer service centers
Improved experience through innovative models
Infrastructures and access

The Internet of Things

Smart destinations
Automation of products and services
Innovative experiences for niche markets

Social networks and the sharing economy

Customer communication and relationships channel
Online reputation and active listening
Specialized social media
Exchange of goods and services between companies and individuals

The objective of public institutions is to diversify the industry in order to expand the offer to tourists seeking other alternatives to sun and beaches.

Inland tourism in Spain is a business niche yet to develop. It is an upmarket industry associated with gastronomy and culture that attracts medium to high- spending visitors. Especially interesting is wine tourism, which has great potential given the allure of the sector in Spain.

While local and provincial administrations devote resources to promote it, in fact, the wine industry is highly atomized and lacks agents to coordinate and organize activities, therefore the level of business that drives this type of tourism is well below its potential.

Spain has an established position as a destination for mice tourism (meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions) thanks to the country's professionalism, stability and security.

It ranks first in world destinations with the highest meeting participation according to the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA). In 2018 there were 5,200 events in Spain, 28% of them international.

Spain’s primary advantage is that it perfectly combines business and leisure ("bleisure") tourism, but in order to maintain this position, the industry has to quickly adapt to the changes in mice tourism trends, the increase of specialization, technological innovation and continuous advancement of customized meetings.

The most popular destinations for business tourism in Spain are Barcelona and Madrid, followed by Zaragoza, Valencia, Valladolid and Bilbao.

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Travel, Tourism & Hospitality

Tourism sector in Spain - statistics & facts

Who visits spain the most, how popular is domestic tourism in spain, key insights.

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Barcelona Convention Bureau

Barcelona Prepares its Destination Marketing Strategy

The new roadmap must give priority to sustainable tourism, with the highest levels of social and economic positive impact.

The president of Turisme de Barcelona, Joan Gaspart, alongside the Barcelona City Council councillor for Tourism, Trade and Markets, Agustí Colom, have announced the start of a process to design the "Destination Barcelona" tourism marketing strategy for the years to come. This initiative, born out of one of the proposals in the 2020 Strategic Tourism Plan, will define the strategy for tourism destination marketing through the work of Turisme de Barcelona, in a joint process with the City Council, Barcelona Chamber of Commerce and Barcelona Provincial Council.

Joan Gaspart has emphasised the wide range of interests involved in this marketing plan and its geographical scope, as well as the need to seek new forms of presenting the city, considering the changes in consumption patterns and forms of travel. Gaspart considers that this spirit of collaboration between four institutions (City Council, Chamber of Commerce, Provincial Council and Turisme de Barcelona) means "incorporating the new reality and strengthening complicity between the city and the surrounding area to create a strong image". The councillor Agustí Colom believes that it is essential that tourism management is integrated and that marketing is a key tool in this. "We must ensure that tourism manages to involve other sectors, and becomes a real focus for economic development spreading to the city and other sectors of the economy", Colom has stated.

The main objectives of the Marketing Strategy (EMTDB) can be summarised as: guaranteeing the sustainability of the destination, promoting the competitiveness of the activity while ensuring the maximum social return on investment, boosting the multiplier effect of tourism in strategic economic sectors, incentivising the integrated management of the destination and incorporating the various voices making up the destination. In short, the marketing strategy must guide the future actions of all public and private agents presenting the image of the city through their activity.

The tourism destination marketing plan is expected to be ready and implemented in its entirety within a year (6 months for diagnosis and drafting of the action plan and 6 months to implement it in the start-up phase).

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Destination Marketing

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Creating value for tourist destinations through innovative strategies and tactics.

Slow growth
Loss of market share
Value loss or decrease in value
Weak positioning and competitive situation
Low ratio of brand adoption
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Excessive seasonality
Unclear corporate identity for the market
Lack of a distinct identity for the tourism product
Old or out-of-date product portfolio
Low tourist income
Unsatisfactory marketing performance
High-performing marketing plans: design of specific plans and innovative actions for each product/market of the tourist destination.
Implementation of marketing plans: support in the launching of operational marketing plans.
Destination brand strategy: creating robust and original corporate identities for tourist destinations which allow them to be different from other competing destinations.
Developing tourism products and experiences: designing innovative products and unforgettable experiences to strengthen the destination's proposition of value.
Repositioning destinations: looking for an optimal proposal of value which helps destinations to differentiate from their competitors and achieve the best results, and technical support for its successful implementation.
Consultancy in the design and implementation of big marketing actions, such as: Advertising campaigns, promotion actions, implementation of marketing plans, assissting in the practical implementation of operative marketing plans.

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Marketing online

The key objective of TURESPAÑA's digital marketing strategy is the re-positioning of Spain as an attractive tourist destination for the cosmopolitan segment. Spain's tourism brand is strongly linked to the value proposition of “sun and beach”, and this is something that we want to change using various online marketing tools.

To achieve this, we at TURESPAÑA have designed a digital marketing strategy built on the pillars of: - Full funnel strategy, although the “upper funnel” has a specific weight - Selection of tools according to the phase of the customer journey - Content is King. Content marketing - Big data, both in planning and in measuring results - Selection of distinct tools for B2B and B2C. Although the greatest efforts are made in the upper funnel (attention and interest), we are not limited to these phases, and we are working on a full funnel strategy that also focuses on the planning, purchase, loyalty and recommendation phases. One of the keys to our strategy is precisely to use the specific tools that are most appropriate in each of these phases, such as advertising in the awareness phase and social media in the recommendation phase or e-mail marketing in the loyalty and recommendation phase. We also highlight the importance of content marketing as a cross-cutting element. Our digital strategy involves a careful selection of content – both our own and third-party content – which applies to all tools. Finally, we also base ourselves on the importance of big data , both for planning actions and for measuring results. In terms of PLANNING, our strategy is based on hyper-segmentation, where big data, properly used, enables us to know where these cosmopolitan audiences are and to impact them with the right content, at the right time and in the right format. In the area of RESULTS MEASUREMENT, in addition to using traditional digital marketing metrics (for which we have created a sophisticated set of KPIs, both overall and per market), we measure the ROI of our online activities, both in our own media and paid media, in terms of searches and hotel and airline bookings, as well as estimated spending on hotels. Finally, it is important to highlight the use of different online tools , distinguishing between B2B and B2C marketing . For B2B marketing , two essential tools should be highlighted: online training and relationship marketing. However, TURESPAÑA's digital marketing strategy is clearly focused on the end customer, the cosmopolitan tourist, and in this sense, most of the tools we use are B2C marketing tools . To name a few: online advertising, social media marketing, relationship marketing (P2P marketing), content marketing and web marketing.

Pathways for the social impact of research in Barcelona's tourism policy

International Journal of Tourism Cities

ISSN : 2056-5607

Article publication date: 18 May 2023

Issue publication date: 5 June 2023

This paper aims to analyse Barcelona City Council's tourism policy documents to detect how, through the influence of research, different pathways are produced to achieve social impact.

Design/methodology/approach

Using the case study approach, a qualitative content analysis is applied to review 31 tourism policy documents of Barcelona City Council.

The results show that the influence of tourism research on Barcelona City Council's policy documents occurs through the following pathways that drive potential social impact: the development of shared research programmes, joint projects, the creation of information exchange platforms, support for academia, the creation of debates, the founding of institutes, the referencing of scientific articles and studies commissioned directly by the City Council from higher education bodies for implementation in the city.

Originality/value

The originality of this paper is to highlight the social relevance of research and to contribute to raising awareness among researchers. The social impact of research is an under-explored topic in the field of tourism. Moreover, there is little research that conducts this analysis through policy documents.

Social impact of research

Viana-Lora, A. and Nel-lo-Andreu, M. (2023), "Pathways for the social impact of research in Barcelona's tourism policy", International Journal of Tourism Cities , Vol. 9 No. 2, pp. 481-495. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJTC-07-2022-0171

Emerald Publishing Limited

Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial & non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

Originally, scientific impact was positioned as the most effective way to identify the highest-quality research ( Reale et al., 2018 ), directly linking scientific quality with social benefits ( Bornmann, 2013 ). This relationship is not always the case, with high-quality scientific research that has not produced benefits for society ( Bornmann, 2012 ; Smith, 2001 ) and even a moderately negative correlation between societal output and scientific impact ( Van der Weijden, Verbree, & Van Den Besselaar, 2012 ).

Science has evolved from a theoretical-centred perspective to the pursuit of applied research ( Hill, 2016 ). In this new era of science, the focus is on research that solves societal questions of interest ( Lauronen, 2020 ) and whose application produces changes in society ( Samuel & Derrick, 2015 ). The social impact of research has therefore become the great challenge for academics ( Lauronen, 2020 ). Interest in this relatively new concept is just over a decade old ( Viana-Lora & Nel-lo-Andreu, 2021 ). Flecha (2018) identifies this impact as the change that has occurred in society following the publication and transfer of research results. These changes are the result of the efforts made by researchers ( Spaapen & Van Drooge, 2011 ). For Reale et al. (2018) , it is the transfer of the research result to a concrete policy.

The establishment of social criteria in research funding calls can contribute to the achievement of minimum social objectives ( Cunha, Ferreira, Araújo, & Ares, 2012 ) and to researchers' efforts to identify social issues in their research proposals. It is an opportunity to raise researchers' awareness of the importance of social impact ( Lima & Wood, 2014 ; Lauronen, 2020 ). Social goals can be set in line with the sustainable development goals set by the UN ( Viana-Lora & Nel-lo-Andreu, 2020 ). These goals identify global social problems, and by addressing them at the outset of the research, the social purpose of the proposal is clarified ( Spaapen & Van Drooge, 2011 ).

The interest in research that generates social benefits in turn motivates the search for a system of evaluation of science that detects its social impact ( Lauronen, 2020 ). This evaluation is understood as the tool that identifies the social consequences of planned interventions produced after the development of research ( Vanclay, 2003 ; Ahmadvand & Karami, 2017 ). Funding agencies are the main stakeholders in this evaluation, as they seek to justify how money spent on research improves people's lives ( Holbrook & Frodeman, 2011 ).

The limitations in assessing the social impact of research found in the literature ( Viana-Lora & Nel-lo-Andreu, 2021 ) invite further research on this topic. To the authors' knowledge, there is no article that evaluates the social impact of research on local tourism policy. Therefore, this article aims to analyse Barcelona City Council's tourism policy documents to detect how the influence of research can produce different pathways to achieving social impact. It is important to analyse the influence of research on public tourism policies because, never before in history, has there been such an important tourism development. Tourism not only generates positive impacts; it also creates conflicts and negative externalities for the local population and the environment, so cities need to take action. One of the key challenges of urban tourism governance is balancing the needs of different stakeholders ( Romão, Domènech, & Nijkamp, 2021 ). Barcelona is a perfect city to use as a case study for the search for a governance model for urban tourism management that involves stakeholders ( Romão et al., 2021 ). To achieve effective governance in urban tourism, it is essential to establish a collaborative and participatory decision-making process. This process should involve a variety of stakeholders, including representatives from the tourism industry, local residents, government entities and community organisations ( Wray, 2013 ). The stakeholders should be involved in identifying the challenges and opportunities of tourism in the destination as well as in the development of strategies to address these issues ( Lalicic & Önder, 2018 ). Higher education institutions can play a key role in this governance, as they have the capacity to provide expertise, conduct research and establish partnerships with the various stakeholders in the city's tourism development ( Jamal & Getz, 1995 ). Researchers can produce knowledge and critically analyse the challenges and opportunities in urban tourism management ( Ashworth & Page, 2011 ). This research can provide valuable information to policymakers and tourism industry stakeholders on best practices, innovative strategies and solutions to existing problems. The rest of the paper is structured as follows. Section 2 conducts a literature review on the social impact of research in policy documents. Section 3 explains the method used in the analysis. Section 4 shows the results obtained. Section 5 provides a discussion of the study. Section 6 explains the conclusions of the study.

2. Literature review: the social impact of research in policy papers

Urban tourism destination governance has evolved significantly over the last few decades. In the past, the management of urban tourism was the responsibility of local governments and tourism authorities, which focused mainly on tourism promotion and infrastructure development. Today, the governance of urban tourism destinations has become more complex and multifaceted ( Iovitu, Radulescu, & Dociu, 2013 ; Blázquez-Salom, Blanco-Romero, Vera-Rebollo, & Ivars-Baidal, 2019 ). The main actors involved in urban tourism management include not only local governments and tourism authorities but also tourism businesses, higher education institutions, non-profit organisations, local residents and tourists ( Romão et al., 2021 ). This governance has become more oriented towards sustainability and citizen participation ( Timur & Getz, 2008 ). Urban planning strategies that seek to balance the needs and desires of tourists and local residents have been implemented, and responsible tourism practices that minimise the environmental and socio-economic impact of tourism have been adopted ( Meadowcroft, 2004 ). While there are challenges to the involvement of universities in the governance of urban tourism, their contributions are essential to ensuring sustainable and responsible development of this important economic activity. One planning tool for destination managers is the implementation of policies. It is necessary to detect how policymakers use scientific evidence to address social problems ( Reale et al., 2018 ) and how research influences those policies. There is no single way to benefit society through research ( Ozanne, Davis, & Ekpo, 2022 ). It is interesting to identify these impact pathways, as they are the ones that researchers should take to enhance the social impact of their research ( Muhonen, Benneworth, & Olmos-Peñuela, 2020 ).

The contribution of research to policy is found at all scales: local, regional, national or European ( Cunha et al., 2012 ), through policy development or review ( Bornmann, 2012 ; Alla, Hall, Whiteford, Head, & Meurk, 2017 ; Chams, Guesmi, & Gil, 2020 ; Sigurðarson, 2020 ), the generation of policy briefs or treatment guidelines ( De Jong, Barker, Cox, Sveinsdottir, & Van den Besselaar, 2014 ; Ozanne et al., 2017 ), the creation of policy committees ( Smith, 2001 ; Ozanne et al., 2017 ), public debates ( Bornmann, 2012 ) or the foundation of networks of policymakers ( Ozanne et al., 2017 ).

The European Union has shown interest in research that generates this type of impact and has added the contribution of research to EU policies as an impact to be taken into account in research funding since its Fifth Framework Programme ( Holbrook & Frodeman, 2011 ; Bornmann, 2013 ). Other bodies, such as the Research Excellence Framework (REF), which is responsible for assessing UK research, identify the impacts of research on policy and guidelines through scientific citations in policy documents ( Hanna, Gatting, Boyd, Robb, & Jones, 2020 ). These citations are an interesting source of data and show the research-policy relationship ( Bornmann, Haunschild, & Marx, 2016 ).

This impact could be direct ( Alla et al., 2017 ; Van der Weijden et al., 2012 ), as is the case for research that, motivated by the resolution of social problems, seeks to formulate policies and measures that solve these problems ( Tellado, Lepori, & Morla-Folch, 2020 ). An example would be the research on Judith Butler's gender performativity theory, which sought political, legal and social recognition of LGBTQ+ people and managed to impact policies and organisations, influencing the development of laws on LGBTQ+ rights ( Fotaki, 2021 ). This impact could also be indirect ( Alla et al., 2017 ; Van der Weijden et al., 2012 ), where there has been a social impact that was not intended as a research objective but has occurred as a by-product of the research. In the research by Chams et al. (2020) , assessing the social impact of research on rice cultivation in the Ebro Delta (Spain) and identifying four national decrees and one European law derived from research on the subject, it is observed how indirectly the cost of processing and the value of by-products in the different stages of rice processing have been modified.

Other research on the social impact of science has also focused on assessing the policy environment. Molas-Gallart and Tang (2011) measured the social impact of BRASS, a research centre at Cardiff University, and detected assemblies, recommendations and policy implementation on low carbon and ecological footprints. Esko and Tuunainen (2019) evaluated the impact of a Finnish research group and demonstrated how researchers created opportunities to alter the understanding of regional differentiation in the city of Helsinki, contributing to urban policy change in the city. Bornmann et al. (2016) analyse the impact of climate change research in policy documents extracted from the Dimensions database and find that only 1.2% of the documents feature mentions of scientific articles. This lack of research citations in policy documents is also detected by Tonetti (2019) in the field of oral health. Kale, Siravuri, Alhoori, and Papka (2017) seek to predict the likelihood of an article being cited in public policy through the use of random forest classification.

Analysing the social impact of tourism research is more complex than in other fields of study because the particularities of the tourism industry make knowledge sharing more difficult. It is a highly fragmented seasonal sector with a greater presence of small businesses ( Cooper, 2015 ), so tourism research has not focused on practice-based research and knowledge sharing ( Duxbury, Bakas, & Pato de Carvalho, 2021 ). Researchers focus on writing scientific articles, which does not seem to be the most appropriate means of transferring knowledge to policymakers ( Duxbury et al., 2021 ). City-university collaboration is necessary to strengthen city tourism through the skills and resources of the university ( Silinevica, 2015 ). This collaboration is based on a dialogue process that will involve the population and enrich the opinions of stakeholders ( Muhonen et al., 2020 ). Thus, the university will not only work as a knowledge generator but also as a project partner in which all stakeholders are involved ( Olsson, Bernhard, Arvemo, & Snis, 2020 ). City-university collaboration creates bridges for knowledge transfer and develops links to build shared knowledge bases ( Muhonen et al., 2020 ). This article aims to address this research gap and raise awareness among tourism researchers of the importance of generating societal benefits through science and its application in policy.

3. Research design

3.1 study area.

This article uses the case study approach, more specifically the city of Barcelona, to analyse the influence of tourism research on policy documents. For the purpose of this analysis, a policy document is understood as any document published by destination managers to develop or inform a tourism policy. Nowadays, the case study seems to be the best option to measure the social impact of science ( Tahamtan & Bornmann, 2020 ; De Jong et al., 2014 ; Bornmann, 2012 ) and the most widely used ( Bornmann & Marx, 2014 ). This approach is the one used by the REF to evaluate research ( Hanna et al., 2020 ; Sivertsen & Meijer, 2020 ). The case study allows us to present multiple information with a high degree of complexity ( Wilsdon et al., 2015 ), providing a complete picture of all social impacts ( Bornmann, 2013 ). At the same time, it enables its presentation in an appropriate and understandable way for all stakeholders ( Bornmann, Haunschild, & Adams, 2019 ).

Barcelona is the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, located in northeastern Spain, and is one of the most populated cities in Europe ( Camps-Calvet, Langemeyer, Calvet-Mir, & Gómez-Baggethun, 2016 ). In the field of tourism, Barcelona is considered a benchmark for international tourism, with a strong tourism brand envied by many destinations ( Datzira-Masip & Poluzzi, 2014 ). It is one of the largest urban tourism destinations in the world ( Romão et al., 2021 ), with 7.3 million travellers by 2022 ( INE, 2022 ). Its growth has been continuous except for the financial crisis of 2008 ( Marine-Roig & Clavé, 2015 ) and the current COVID-19 health crisis, making it the city with the highest international tourism in Spain ( INE, 2022 ). The economic impact of tourism on the city is unquestionable, with a tourist GDP of 12% ( Jutglà, 2019 ). In 2019, it was, after Paris, the second most visited European city according to accommodation bookings made through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and TripAdvisor ( EUROSTAT, 2021 ). In addition, Barcelona is the fourth city in the world in terms of congress organisation and the first according to the number of attendees ( ICCA, 2020 ).

The city transport infrastructure is one of the factors which has contributed to the development of the tourism. The port of Barcelona is the second most important port in Europe in terms of cruise calls and the third in terms of embarkation and disembarkation ( Vayá, Garcia, Murillo, Romaní, & Suriñach, 2018 ). Its airport welcomed more than 50 million passengers in 2019, ranking sixth in Europe in terms of passenger traffic ( AENA, 2021 ). The high-speed train links the city with France ( Rico et al., 2019 ), which is positioned as the main tourist-sending country for Barcelona according to hotel demand in 2021 ( Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2021 ).

Its rich heritage is an attraction for millions of tourists. It has new buildings declared World Heritage Sites ( Marine-Roig & Clavé, 2015 ), the most visited being the Sagrada Familia, with 4.7 million visits in 2019 ( OTB, 2020 ). Barcelona also has tourist attractions such as the Boqueria market, which allows tourists to feel like local citizens and identify their identity codes through the consumption of traditional or agricultural products of the city ( Dimitrovski & Crespi Vallbona, 2018 ). The use of the urban environment for tourism generates political debates and social movements against tourist overcrowding ( Martins, 2018 ). Over-tourism has led to social conflicts such as protests over the lack of affordable housing, the touristification of local neighbourhoods, gentrification and the overcrowding of public spaces, causing effects that affect the quality of life in their neighbourhoods, security, privacy and even local identity ( Elorrieta, Cerdan Schwitzguébel, & Torres-Delgado, 2022 ; Garay-Tamajón, Lladós-Masllorens, Meseguer-Artola, & Morales-Pérez, 2022 ; Wilson, Garay-Tamajon, & Morales-Perez, 2022 ; Bauza Martorell, 2020 ; Lambea Llop, 2017 ; Blázquez-Salom et al., 2019 ; Richards, Brown, & Dilettuso, 2020 ). To address this issue, more sustainable and responsible planning is required to minimise the negative impact of tourism activity. Barcelona was the first city to regulate short-term rentals, even halting licences in the period from 2015 to 2017 ( Wilson et al., 2022 ; Lambea Llop, 2017 ). To involve local actors in the planning and management of urban tourism, Barcelona City Council created the Tourism and City Council in 2015 ( Romão et al., 2021 ). This casuistry motivates the choice of this city as a case study, since there is a need to develop tourism policies to solve this social problem, and from our perspective, research plays a fundamental role.

3.2 Data collection and data analysis

The social impact of the research is assessed through interviews, surveys, social media, communication methodology and productive interactions ( Viana-Lora & Nel-lo-Andreu, 2021 ). This research used qualitative content analysis to study the documentation, as it is considered the most obvious way to highlight the influence of research on tourism policy to date. Furthermore, this technique is used to identify the information of interest within a particular phenomenon and brings a wider range of knowledge to the context of study ( Downe‐Wamboldt, 1992 ). It has several benefits, such as replicability, analytical flexibility and application at different levels of analysis ( Camprubí & Coromina, 2016 ). This technique has already been successfully tested in policy documents in the field of tourism ( Santos-Lacueva, Clavé, & Saladié, 2017 ; Heslinga, Groote, & Vanclay, 2018 ). To increase the reliability of the analysis, all documents were read by two researchers and then pooled to determine the categories and subcategories of analysis. Content analysis consists of three phases: preparation, organisation and reporting ( Elo et al., 2014 ).

In the preparation phase, the unit of analysis is selected, and the documents are extracted. In this case study, the unit of analysis is the tourism policy of Barcelona City Council. To extract the documents, a search for official tourism policy documents of the city of Barcelona was carried out. The city council, advocating transparency in management, makes these documents available to the public on its website. The criteria for inclusion were official policy documents dealing with tourism in Barcelona in the period 2010–2022. A total of 31 documents were downloaded for this analysis and are listed in Table 1 .

shared research programme;

development of research project;

creation of information platforms;

supporting research communities;

creation of debates;

creation of research institutes;

scientific citations; and

scientific studies commissioned by Barcelona City Council.

The documents were re-read to gain a deeper understanding of the documents and to be able to code the information into the established subcategories.

The reporting phase describing the results that form part of the content of the subcategories is presented in the following results section.

In total, including the annexes, 31 policy documents were selected for analysis. The annexes were included because they included relevant information on studies carried out by different universities, the use of surveys or the methodologies used. Documents related to Barcelona's strategic tourism planning were analysed. The documents have been divided according to the two strategic plans that the city has had during the period analysed: the strategic tourism plan for the City of Barcelona 2010–2015 and the strategic tourism plan 2020.

The strategic tourism plan for the City of Barcelona 2010–2015 was presented in 2010 and is the first record of the local government's measures in the field of tourism. With the 2015 horizon, its objective was to improve tourism activity and the fit of tourism in the city with four lines of action: 1. The territorial deconcentration of tourism activity, 2. the new governance of tourism in the framework of the city and its territorial environment, 3. the generation of complicity with society and institutions and 4. the leadership and competitive improvement of the destination and tourism-related activities. Therefore, the documents analyzed in this plan are 11: four of them correspond to the General Plan published in 2010, one is a government measure from 2013, five were published in 2015 and deal with the lines of action and monitoring of the plan, and the last one from 2016 is about the internal operating regulations of the plan.

In 2017, the Strategic Plan for Tourism 2020 was presented, the purpose of which was to design instruments and mechanisms for new sustainable future scenarios, increasing wealth and guaranteeing a social return. The five areas of application were: 1. governance, 2. tourism management, 3. territorial strategy, 4. work and business and 5. promotion and marketing. Documents of the plan are incorporated every year until the publication of its evaluation in 2022. A total of 20 documents were analysed in this plan.

This study found a university collaboration in the city's tourism planning, which seeks to design a more sustainable urban tourism that avoids the problems derived from tourism and its gentrification. The commitment to involve all the agents involved in Barcelona's tourism activity favours “urban co-governance”. This terminology advocates a new collaborative multi-stakeholder governance, where cooperation is the key to effective integration ( Ye & Liu, 2020 ). This research has allowed us to detect the existing pathways between the university and Barcelona City Council to achieve social impact. To clarify the results, Table 2 shows the documents analysed and their linkage to each of the eight social impact pathways identified: 1. creation of shared research programmes, 2. development of research projects, 3. creation of information platforms, 4. support to research communities, 5. organisation of and participation in discussion days, 6. establishment of research institutes, 7. citations of scientific articles in policy documents and 8. studies commissioned by the municipality from academic institutions for tourism policy development. The results of this analysis are structured according to these findings.

4.1 Pathways for the social impact of research

Collaboration between academia and stakeholders is a way to achieve social impact. Barcelona City Council maintains collaborations with high-level academic institutions. This section seeks to synthesise these relationships, which will be key to the development of research that will subsequently benefit society. After analysing the documents, it is clear that the city council is interested in deepening its knowledge of university centres to support tourism policies. DOC 18 and 19 seek to strengthen the links between university centres and the administration to enjoy a greater transfer of knowledge in the field of tourism. The latter document also refers to the creation of a shared research programme (university–city council) to generate and transfer knowledge that will enable the development of methodological tools and seek joint funding channels for projects that address integrated destination management.

DOC 17 highlights the need to address the strategic challenges of the destination in conjunction with university and R&D&I centres. In this same document and in DOC 18, the implementation of a project by the university to count tourists staying in tourist accommodation is reflected.

The creation of information platforms is another avenue for collaboration. With the aim of promoting a space that constantly fosters applied research, the capacity to innovate, technology transfer and the dissemination of knowledge, it is proposed, as reflected in DOC 10, the creation of a tourism observatory for the city of Barcelona, a tourism innovation centre and a tourism knowledge portal, with the participation of university centres and research groups. DOC 2, 3 and 4 already included the intention to create such a tourism innovation centre, and DOC 2 mentions the knowledge portal.

DOC 10 and 19 reflect the support for the RIS3CAT Tourism community , in which several universities participate, based on innovation to transfer knowledge between universities and companies. The university–city council relationship is also strengthened by promoting research grants and creating tourism chairs (DOC 10).

The creation of debates is another form of collaboration; in DOC 28, the city council organises a debate forum with four Catalan universities as participants. It was developed as a collaborative process to establish possible strategies for the city. Taking into account the opinion of the researchers, 12 lines of action were proposed to create new tourist content and redefine tourism in the city. DOC 10 also includes the participation and generation in various forums on tourism in the academic sphere, such as the conference “Destination Barcelona: history of tourism in the city” with speakers from the universities of Girona, Barcelona, Cardiff (UK), San Sebastián (Chile), Oberta de Catalunya, the Polytechnic of Catalonia and the University School of Maresme. An open day was organised at DOC 17 with a speaker from the University City of London (UK).

The creation of research institutes can be a tool that allows constant and fluid collaboration between the city council and the university. DOC 2 includes the creation of the Tourism Institute of Catalonia (IRTUCA) with the collaboration of several universities. This will make it possible to establish a framework for the promotion, leadership and coordination of study, research and the generation of knowledge applied to tourism activity, with the corresponding transfer of technology to companies and territories. Additionally, DOC 10 created the Municipal Advisory Council of Universities of Barcelona to strengthen ties between the university and the private sector.

Citations to scientific policy documents have also been considered as an indicator of the social impact of research. The analysis of the policy documents has made it possible to extract references to scientific articles on tourism. Of the 31 documents studied, three mention research articles on tourism:

DOC 23 deals with the environmental externalities of tourism in Barcelona, so the most referenced topics are linked to the carrying capacity of the destination, the environmental impact of tourism activity and cruise tourism. They use this scientific research to understand the impact of the tourism industry on the city and to develop tools to compensate for the externalities of tourism.

DOC 25 is a scientific work commissioned by the city council. It is a study that evaluates work in the tourism sector in Barcelona, developed by the Universitat Pompeu Fabra. It is a document used for the city's tourism policy, but produced by an academic institution. Therefore, it cites various research on tourism employment related to gender equality, subcontracting or job insecurity. It shows recommendations for the improvement of the city's sector that should later be implemented by the city government.

DOC 29 gives a presentation on Barcelona's tourism marketing strategy and quotes a tourism researcher from the University of Manchester.

The use in policy documents of studies commissioned by Barcelona City Council from university research groups specialising in tourism is another path of achieving social impact through research. These studies make a fundamental contribution to the understanding and knowledge of tourism in Barcelona. DOC 3 and 4 include the study of the economic impact of tourist activity in the city of Barcelona carried out by the University of Barcelona between 2007 and 2009, which made it possible to quantify this impact and its effects on the metropolitan area, taking the results into consideration in the strategic plan. The University of Girona carried out a similar study, DOC 12, 17 and 18, but for 2013. In DOC 31, the University of Barcelona was commissioned to carry out a study to quantify the impact of tourism on Barcelona's municipal budget. This same university has also produced reports, DOC 3, such as the feasibility report for a congress held in the city dedicated to urban tourism.

5. Discussion

Universities are embracing transformative change to work with their communities to create real social impact ( Morawska-Jancelewicz, 2021 ). The collaboration will be the first step that will start from a previous planning in which the social objectives will be established. In this case study, the university–city council collaboration seeks a scientific contribution to achieve the objectives set out in Barcelona's tourism planning strategy. As a result of these collaborations, the analysis detected eight pathways of social impact. The implementation of joint projects, institutes or research programmes allows the City Council to expose the social problems detected in tourism management and the researchers to design socially relevant scientific solutions. In addition, researchers will be able to participate in tourism policy development committees and provide scientific advice on tourism.

The research results developed through these collaborations and subsequently applied to tourism planning strategies are what we understand as the social impact of the research. This knowledge is used by the City Council to design the city's tourism policy.

This article finds out how public policy responds to conflicts arising from urban tourism with the help of research. We have seen in the DOC 23 study how they seek to detect the externalities of tourism activity and provide tools to mitigate them through the support of scientific research. Citation of scientific papers in policy is considered an indicator to assess the social impact of research ( Bornmann et al., 2016 ); in this study, it has been considered a way to achieve social impact, as citing an article in policy is not a benefit to society, but it does have a potential social impact. The cited articles have a clear influence on the design of the city's tourism strategy. DOC 25 also uses citations from scientific articles to cover the work and business action lines of the 2020 tourism strategic plan. This is a clear example of writing scientific content for policy development. We also find studies commissioned from the university that will make it possible to analyse Barcelona's tourism situation and serve as a support or reference in the tourism strategy.

The Barcelona City Council seeks the involvement of the local population in the management of urban tourism, thus betting on a quadruple helix model that favours dialogue and increases the values of society, its inclusion and democratisation ( Morawska-Jancelewicz, 2021 ). This collaboration and participation of citizens in the research process allows the different points of view involved to be considered, decentralising academic knowledge ( Olsson et al., 2020 ). Spaapen and Van Drooge (2011) found that these interactions between researchers and stakeholders are a precondition for the social impact of research. Therefore, efforts should be made to strengthen the relationship between academia, policymakers and stakeholders. However, the study detects a certain dysfunction between urban tourism research and public policy, perhaps due to a lack of follow-up of city studies by policy makers and a lack of action or recommendations by researchers. City tourism research should seek alternative approaches that are more sustainable and socially equitable.

6. Conclusion

The article assumes the relevance of tourism research for tourism policy development. Aiello et al. (2021) consider the achievement of policy impact as a strategy to promote the social impact of research. In this context, the influence of research on the tourism strategy documents of the city of Barcelona is analysed. The pathways to achieving social impact are highlighted with clear examples of university–city council collaboration that can be applied in other organisations.

This article highlights the importance of research for the advancement and improvement of society. But to do so, researchers need to be aware of the channels that generate social impact to plan their research. This study has attempted to contribute knowledge in this field, which is currently so important but, at the same time, little explored. It proposes a move towards urban co-governance that involves all stakeholders and supports a quadruple helix model of urban tourism. The influence of policy research has been shown to have a real social impact; its application brings benefits to society ( Fotaki, 2021 ; Chams et al., 2020 ). It is true that the field of study of tourism has certain special characteristics as a changing activity involving a multitude of stakeholders ( Akama, 2002 ). But joint work between science, government and stakeholders, a process of co-creation, is necessary to improve public policies and give social value to research ( Redondo-Sama, Díez-Palomar, Campdepadrós, & Morlà-Folch, 2020 ). Research should generate solutions that are more practically applicable and easier to implement, which help in the management of tourism in cities through policy ( Dredge & Jamal, 2015 ). While awaiting a new tourism plan for the city of Barcelona, this study invites university–city council collaboration for its design and implementation, aligning research with the needs of the city and favouring the transfer of knowledge to society.

This study has been carried out by analysing the tourism policy documents of a specific city, Barcelona; this limitation makes it impossible to compare with other cities due to the complexity related to the social impact, the singularity of each case study and the particularities of the tourism industry. Moreover, the city of Barcelona has certain competences in terms of tourism regulation, but this might not be the case in cities in other countries. Future research could aim to overcome this limitation by applying the same methodology in different cities and seeking to strengthen and broaden the pathways to generate social impact.

6.1 Theoretical implications

In terms of theoretical implications, this article provides a more comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the pathways to generate social impact with tourism research in the policy of the city of Barcelona. The case study approach allows for presenting information with a high degree of complexity, and the use of qualitative content analysis technique enables the identification of relevant information within a particular phenomenon and contributes extensive knowledge to the study context. The research results can inform decision-making and planning of tourism policies at the local, regional and national levels, but theoretical research such as that proposed in this study is necessary to determine the pathways that researchers should undertake for their knowledge to be adequately transferred and applied to produce benefits in society.

6.2 Practical implications

This study presents several practical implications for destination managers and tourism policymakers in Barcelona and other cities. Research can influence decision-making and tourism policy planning, which can help destination managers make more informed and evidence-based decisions. The study suggests that collaboration between researchers and policymakers is essential to maximising the impact of research on tourism policy. Policymakers can use research findings to design more effective and targeted tourism policies, while researchers can benefit from feedback from policymakers to adjust their research and make it more relevant to the needs of the tourism destination. Additionally, the importance of effective knowledge transfer between researchers and policymakers is highlighted. To achieve significant impact on tourism policy, it is essential that research findings are communicated effectively and presented in a way that is clear and understandable to policymakers. This may involve the creation of specific knowledge transfer materials and tools, such as reports, executive summaries and presentations.

Documents analysed

A: shared research programme; B: development of research project; C: creation of information platforms; D: supporting research communities; E: creation of debates; F: creation of research institutes; G: scientific citations; H: scientific studies commissioned by Barcelona City Council

Source: Authors’ own elaboration

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Acknowledgements

This publication is part of the R+D+i project ADAPTOUR (contract number PID2020-112525RB-I00 and PRE2018-085470) funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033, the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Department of Research and Universities of the Catalan Government (2017SGR22).

Corresponding author

About the authors.

Alba Viana-Lora is based at the Department of Geography, Rovira i Virgili University, Vila-seca, Spain

Marta Nel-lo-Andreu is based at the Department of Geography, Rovira i Virgili University, Vila-seca, Spain

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Tourism sector in Spain - statistics & facts