The challenges of tourism

The first statement of intent for 2026 in the tourism industry is that it will consolidate its role as a key strategic activity for the economy, after closing 2025 with national figures that speak for themselves: around 97 million international tourists; three million jobs; approximately 200 billion euros in revenue; a positive balance of payments of 67 billion; and a direct contribution to GDP that studies soon to be published put at 21 per cent.

Manuel Lara, director in Spain and Portugal of the Malaga-based American company Simpleview, points out the challenges facing Spanish tourism. He considers that it is a year marked by a profound transformation in new factors such as the need to focus on the well-being of the resident and artificial intelligence (AI) to solve the equation of being sustainable and competitive.

Simpleview, which helps more than a thousand tourist destinations and 6,000 public institutions in their digitisation process, also sees the redistribution of tourist flows as a priority challenge, as well as firmly tackling governance between public administrations. The starting point, says Lara, is that "Spain has decided to forgo nearly 75 per cent of the credits it was entitled to from the European recovery fund. The figure is strong enough to have opened an immediate national debate. However, it has largely gone under the radar."

Lara explains that Spanish tourism reaches 2026 with record figures, but with unresolved structural challenges. And he says that "the renunciation of these funds is not the cause of the problem, but the most visible symptom of a way of managing based on reaction and not anticipation". Hence he considers that "the first major challenge is obvious: we were not prepared to absorb large-scale transformation".

"Many destinations and administrations did not meet deadlines or were unable to comply with the terms and conditions. It is no coincidence that some directly declined the aid, nor that Spain decided not to apply for most of the available loans. The consequence is not just losing funding: it is losing time while others make progress."

The fact that six regions, including Andalucía, account for 90 per cent of the country’s international tourism revenue paints a picture that highlights the urgent need to tackle the redistribution of tourist flows decisively. This involves focusing on developing products and services in towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, and encouraging provincial brands to invest in these towns, breaking the current pattern where 70–80 per cent of promotional efforts are concentrated in the larger towns. Lara suggests organising the roles of the brands and the territory.

"The country brand should help balance flows and redistribute economic impact; communities should design strategies tailored to each province, because each one has its own rhythm; and the provinces should activate territories that have been waiting for their opportunity for years, mainly towns with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants. Not to take away the spotlight, but to make it more competitive."

At a time when tourism is beginning to generate controversy, the head of Simpleview in Spain and Portugal believes that the challenge for mature destinations is to bring the resident into the equation of territorial development, traveller satisfaction and resident well-being. "We have to unite the vertices of this triangle to ensure that tourism is sustainable. Destinations have begun to understand this new context. An example of this is Andalucía's new treatment campaign."

In Andalucía and on the Costa del Sol, cooperation between administrations and the private sector is a natural way of working in the tourism industry. A successful strategy that Simpleview believes should be extended to public managers to do the same between administrations in order to highlight the transversal nature of this sector. "We must address an alignment between administrations with cross-cutting competencies," he says, stressing that "tourism is not the problem". "The problem is to continue relying on inertia" and to remember that "tourism has always been part of the solution.

"And it will continue to be if we manage it as what it is: a strategic pillar of the country."

The head of Simpleview in Spain and Portugal highlights the impact that the emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) will have this year, not only in terms of establishing new mechanisms with tourists, but also as a tool for automating tasks that will allow human capital to focus on providing a better customer experience by relieving itself of tasks that AI can now perform. Lara insists that the sector has to face the challenges of this new tool that will play a fundamental role in the digitisation of tourism. "AI is going to change everything in all sectors and in tourism we have to work to gain in competitiveness, sustainability and better service to the traveller," Lara says. "The destinations that will gain in competitiveness in 2026 will not be those that accumulate more technology, but those that prepare in advance and better integrate data, governance and territory," he adds.

In a period of constant price increases and to prevent these rising rates from taking their toll, Lara suggests focusing on distant countries with higher-spending travellers. To attract them more effectively, he proposes breaking down barriers and establishing partnerships between countries to promote, for example, itineraries such as Paris, Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. He warns that “the figures do not guarantee the future”.