Tourism

1.     Tourism in Spain contributes to a significant portion of their national economy, making up about 7% of their GDP. They have the fifth largest income from tourism in the world, making around 85 billion dollars a year in revenue. Not surprisingly, Spain also is one of the most visited countries in the world (4^th) with 53 million visitors a year. Spain is a popular tourist destination year round, especially in the spring and summer and most commonly attracts tourists from the UK, Portugal, France, Germany, Central Europe, Scandinavia, and the United States.

2.     Spain has many different cities that contain a variety of tourist attractions and there is always something to do year round due to the large variance in climate and terrain.  Depending on what one likes to do, there are many different tourist attractions in Spain. In terms of historic national buildings to visit, there is: La Sagrada Família in Barcelona, La Alhambra in Granada, Royal Palace of Madrid, Museo Nacional del Prado in Madrid, Mosque—Cathedral of Cordoba, La Alcazar in Sevilla, El Escorial in Madrid, La Giralda in Sevilla, and many more. If one is more adventurous, they can go party in Ibiza, go skiing in Sierra Nevada, or go dance and eat traditional foods at “La feria de abril” in Sevilla.

3.     Spain’s variation in terrain and climate also allows for a variety of national parks and wildlife. There are 15 national parks in Spain: Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici in Lleida, Cabrera Archipelago in the Balearic Islands, Cabañeros in Toledo, Caldera de Taburiente in La Palma (Canary Islands), Doñana in Huelva, Garajonay in La Gomera (Canary Islands),  Guadarrama in Madrid/Castille y León, Illas Atlanticas de Galicia in A Coruña and Pontevedra, Monfragüe in Caceres, Ordesa y Monte Perdido in Huesca, Picos de Europa in Asturias, Sierra Nevada in Granada, Tablas de Daimiel in Ciudad Real, Teide in Tenerife (Canary Islands), and Timanfaya in Las Palmas. Many of these parks are drastically different since they are in different regions, especially those in the Canary Islands since they are volcanic islands far away from the peninsula. One can go hiking, fishing, skiing, biking, and do much more in these landscapes that vary from green fields, to white, snowy mountains, to sandy, desert-like ranges, rivers, and beaches.

4.     Spain has some of the most famous museums in the world. Some famous ones are: Museo Nacional del Prado, Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía, Museu Picasso, Guggenheim Museum, Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Dalí Theatre and Museum, Museum of Fine Arts of Seville, National Archaeological Museum of Spain, Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, and Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando. These are only some examples of important museums in Spain and there are many more due to Spain’s rich history in art and in general.