A new two-year agreement, led by the Spanish Tourist Office (STO) in London, brings together Abta, the Spanish government and four pilot destinations – Benidorm, Calvia, Lloret de Mar and Seville – to trial new approaches to tourism growth using data, technology and "industry collaboration".
Manuel Butler, who is coming to the end of his tenure as the STO's UK Director, said the UK and Spain had a shared responsibility to help define the future of tourism to Spain after the two countries helped shape modern tourism in the 1950s.
"The main idea of this memorandum of understanding is to join forces to reshape tourist growth through sustainability, digitalisation, and smart destination management," said Butler.
UK 'largest source market' for Spain
The initiative reflects the UK's position as the country's "largest international source market" and aligns with Spain's Tourism Strategy 2030, which aims to balance tourism growth with benefits for residents, visitors, businesses and the environment.
Abta will act as the link between the pilot destinations and the UK travel industry, ensuring agents, tour operators and other travel businesses contribute to the development of "practical solutions" that could later be rolled out more widely. Butler said the trade would be treated as a key "stakeholder" alongside local communities and visitors.
The four destinations will initially focus on collecting and analysing tourism data, using Spain’s Smart Destinations Platform to improve visitor management and the overall destination experience. Benidorm, Calvia and Lloret de Mar will provide insight from established Mediterranean resort destinations, while Seville will serve as the urban pilot.
New tourism model will 'take time'
Butler explained the agreement would run for "at least" two years and warned developing a new tourism model would take time. "This is not something that is going to happen from one day to another," he said. "Defining a new model is a very complex task."
Work is expected to formally begin from July, with further details to be revealed in due course.
The partnership builds on a wider, sustainably-minded collaboration between Spain and the UK travel industry. Earlier this year, TTG sat down with Butler to discuss tourism taxes, the impact of AI on sustainable travel and his "baby", the eco-focused conference Spain Talks.
