Holidays in Spain : Sun, Sea & Sand

The traditional Spanish package holiday, still enjoyed by many, consists of sand, sea and sun. Holiday reps efficiently escort people from the airport to a three- or four-star hotel with half board accommodation, offer trips and sort out any problems. Going to amusement parks, having a good drink or cavorting with the opposite sex is everyone's idea of fun. This type of holiday will always be the core of Spain 's tourist industry but it has now peaked. The boom in building new hotels has declined.

The Spanish holiday market is now segmented, firstly into different types of accommodation such as hotels, time-share and holiday homes, and secondly for special interest groups looking for a cultural, rural, walking or adventure holiday.

The new tourist concept is to develop Rural or Green Spain. It can be seen in national newspaper advertising and in promotional literature. The idea is to encourage tourists away from the Costas to rural areas without ruining the environment. There is much of interest in the country to commend it to the discriminating tourist. If successful it spreads revenue more equally across the country preventing the depopulation of rural areas.

Rural or green tourism goes hand in hand with rural accommodation, developing local crafts, initiatives such as reopening disused railway lines and old stations, enhancing the facilities at the Nature Reserves and promoting the mountains for recreation. Yet another initiative lies in the development of spas. While there are over 300, many going back to Roman times, the majority have fallen into disuse.