Spain will rely heavily on its World Heritage cities to revive tourism

Inter-organizational collaboration to boost the appeal

Did you know that Spain is the third richest country in terms of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in the world? Even if you did not know, it is highly likely you would not be too surprised by that little piece of information. And it is exactly that lack of surprise that says a lot about the image that the country holds in the popular imagination among people worldwide and cultural tourism enthusiasts.

Nevertheless, competition is always stiff so tourism authorities in the Iberian country have decided to stick to the principle of “if you have it, flaunt it”. To that end representatives from the Group of the 15 Spanish World Heritage Cities met with the State Secretary of Tourism Fernando Valdés yesterday in order to discuss their role in the national Modernization and Competitiveness Plan for the tourism sector.

High-quality cultural tourism is part of the new strategy for revival

The overall plan is to promote the destinations initially on the domestic and European markets given the high uncertainty surrounding international travel. So, an agreement was concluded between the Heritage Cities and Paradores – a nearly 100-year old state-run chain of high-class hotels housed in adapted historical buildings, such as palaces, monasteries and castles.

“We have today finalized the agreements that will be included in the signing of the agreement between Heritage Cities and Paradores that include national presentations in Seville and Madrid and also international presentations in Paris and Lisbon, in addition to the commitment that in the last quarter of the year they can be made promotions with Turespaña in the United States and in the Asian market,” said Antonio Rodríguez Osuna, Mayor of Merida and also the President of the Heritage Cities group.

The idea is to capture that elite layer of tourists who have had experience with the luxury offered by the Paradores brand and to synergize the brand of the heritage cities with the brand of the prestigious hotels in order to tap into the loyalty factor. However, there is more on the plate.

“We want to bet on quality, sustainability, technological innovation, accessibility and diversification of the offer, with the creation of new tourist packages and products that can be marketed all year round, aimed at the national and international market, and which involve the transformation of our tourism offer adapted to future challenges, within the framework of the Competitiveness and Modernization Plan of the Government of Spain,” added Rodríguez Osuna.