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Tourism

With very good tourism service infrastructure, top quality resources for beach, cultural, business and even culinary tourism, Spain was ranked as the most competitive tourism industry in the world by the World Economic Forum's Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index Ranking 2015

Tourism is very important to the Spanish economy. Travel & Tourism contributed 15.2% of the country's GDP in 2014 according to World Travel and Tourism Council's 2015 report on the tourism's economic impact in Spain. This placed Spain at the 1st position in tourism earnings in Europe and 2nd worldwide in 2014, and 3rd in arrivals with 65 million overnight visitors according to World Tourism Organization's 2015 reports. In 2015, 68 million tourists visited Spain – 5% more than the previous year.

The country boasts hundreds of miles of coastline with spectacular beaches on both the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Visitors can choose between urban beaches and isolated swaths of silky sand. On a cultural level, Spain is the 3rd country in the world with the biggest number of UNESCO World Heritage Sites (44), following China (48) and Italy (51). On a culinary level, The Spanish regional diversity reflects on local cuisine that offers the Mediterranean diet, the New Basque Cuisine in the 1980s, the New Spanish Cuisine led by Ferrán Adrià, and the tapas culture. San Sebastian, one of the gastronomic capitals of Spain and of the world, boasts a high concentration of Michelin-starred establishments that are another tourist attraction. It also scores highly for business travelers with a significant number of international conferences. 

Among the country's biggest tourist attractions are:

  1. The Alhambra, Granada.
  2. The Great Mosque of Cordoba.
  3. Cathedral and Royal Alcazar of Seville.
  4. Barcelona's Sagrada Familia and Gaudi Sites.
  5. Stadio Santiago Bernabeu and Real Madrid museum and The FC Barcelona museum.
  6. The Prado and Paseo del Arte, Madrid.
  7. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao.
  8. Pamplona - Running of the Bulls.
  9. Marbella and Málaga municipality in general.
  10. Canary Islands.