In the times we have lived, they have been significantly increasing protests against mass tourism in several Spanish cities, due to the negative impact on housing and the lives of residents. Some extreme episodes, such as wet tourists with water pistols in Barcelona, show local discontent. Spanish companies are uniting efforts to try to lock this female, attracting new types of tourism.
How can the mass tourism be ‘saved’ in Spain?
More and more companies are uniting with tour operators to attract travelers interested in tourism-inspired tourism and television series. Spain, which has been setting for major international productions such as Game of Thrones, La Casa de Papel, Elite, Black Mirror or Almodóvar films, has become an election destination in this new tourist niche.
This phenomenon gave rise to the growth of the so -called film and television tourism, with many visitors looking for the places where their favorite productions were filmed. “Before, only dedicated fans even traveled, for example, south of Spain to see the Westerns scenarios or Star Wars Seville. But now this trend is growing,” explains Diego Santos, a professor at Eae Business School in Madrid.
The study Spain of Film: Trends in Cinematographic Tourism, the first on this theme in the country, confirms this evolution, according to. Four out of ten people claim that culture is one of the main reasons for traveling, and one in ten has already organized a place for a place linked to cinema or television.
What the experts say
Ana Alonso, founder of The Travelling Set, the first Spanish consultant specializing in film tourism, points out: “The growth potential is huge, especially with the influence of streaming platforms, which arouse the interest of millions of spectators for the landscapes and cultures they see on the screen.”
According to the study, Madrid is the city most associated with films and series during tourist visits (28.1%), followed by Almería (22.6%) and Seville (15.3%). However, Alonso argues that the country still has a long way to go: “We need to create a professional offer and promote it. We are a little like at the beginning of wine tourism.”
Its own industry
Film tourism is in full expansion and is already beginning to create its own industry. “The idea is not only to visit the filming places, but to integrate the cinema in the city’s narrative,” explains Aubry Minotti, founder of Lorens, a company that collaborates with travel agencies and tour operators.
The proposals are varied and include night projections, themed dinners, costume visits, workshops and even group activities with cinematic theme. “Through screen tourism, we can approach culture, gastronomy, natural heritage and, of course, cinema itself,” says Alonso.
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The landscape diversity of Spain
Spain has long sunny days, soft winters and a great diversity of landscapes, factors that make it attractive to international productions. Already in the 1960s, the Tabernas Desert in Almería was the scene of Sergio Leone’s famous Westerns, such as “The Good, The Bad and the Villain.”
“For decades Spain has taken advantage of cinema to promote tourism,” says Santos. “But now, with the challenges of excessive tourism, these niches help us divert visitors from overlapping areas to other equally interesting places.”
Spanish government tax incentives
To attract more productions, the Spanish government has offered tax incentives since 2020: 30% credit for the first million euros spent and 25% for the following amounts. The processes for filming and visas were also simplified. Currently, these productions have an economic impact of 1.32 billion euros, according to Spain Film Commission.
The growing importance of this sector led to the organization of the first European Film Tourism Congress, which will soon be held in Spain.
While protests against mass tourism in several Spanish cities increase, due to the negative impact on housing and residents’ lives, with some extreme episodes, such as wet tourists with water pistols in Barcelona, which demonstrates local discontent, to Alonso, tourism linked to the cinema could be a more sustainable alternative: “It is not dependent on a specific time of the year and allows redistributing them to redistribute visitors by less exploited areas. ”
Minotti agrees: “Of course tourists want to see the main monuments. But when we take them to secondary cinema places, there are many surprises.”
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