Spain is preparing to celebrate 2026 as Dual Year 2026 with India to celebrate culture, tourism and AI. Elena Orland – Director for Tourism Office of Spain, spoke to Disha Shah Ghosh about their visión for India, and measures for diversying tourist traffic.
1. There has been a growing unrest in Europe against mass tourism at popular destinations. In that context, what kind of sustainable measures is Spain Tourism planning to diversify tourist traffic across the country to avoid overcrowding amid capacity constraints of destinations?
Overtourism impacts a limited number of specific destinations—not only in Spain and Europe but also across the Americas and Asia. The occasional protests highlighted in the media serve as a wake-up call, prompting everyone involved in the tourism sector to pause and reflect.
And reflected we have. Spanish public authorities are actively implementing a range of measures aimed at mitigating the potential negative consequences of tourism.
Among the most frequently discussed measures are the increase in tourist taxes—which, although minimal for individual visitors, generates significant revenue collectively, given that Spain welcomes 100 million tourists—and the regulation of vacation rentals. These measures are applied exclusively in specific areas experiencing mass tourism, particularly in urban centers and popular destinations such as Barcelona or the Balearic Islands.
However, from my perspective, the most impactful measure against overtourism is the firm commitment of the Spanish Administration to the gradual transformation of the tourism model towards greater sustainability—meaning one that takes into account the environmental and social impacts of tourism activity to ensure it remains economically viable.
The Government of Spain has allocated nearly two billion euros from the EU’s Next Generation funds to support sustainability projects to the goal of establishing Spain as a fully sustainable destination by 2050.
And Spain’s starting point is very favorable. Spain boasts one of Europe’s most extensive carbon-neutral high-speed rail networks, and nearly half of our energy comes from renewable sources. Within the hospitality sector is under renovation to meet sustainable criteria in terms of water and energy consumption or waste management. Additionally, Spain leads Europe in the number of biosphere reserves and Blue Flag-certified clean beaches. Over 40% of our territory is legally protected, ensuring a balance between economic development and social and environmental preservation.
And of course, Spain is becoming a super appealing destination for people traveling from abroad because it ticks three big boxes: different times of year, different places to go and, different reasons to visit.
2. There are plans to commemorate India-Spain Dual Year 2026 for Culture, Tourism & AI. What activities have been chalked out to celebrate this milestone in India?
Spain and India are two of the world’s leading cultural powers. Both countries have a very rich heritage that includes an extraordinary legacy of both tangible and intangible assets.
However, due to geographical distance, much of both cultures has remained largely hidden from the eyes of most of their inhabitants.
The celebration of the Dual Year in 2026 will help to alleviate this gap to some extent by organising multiple cultural activities that will introduce Spanish and Indian audiences to the art and culture of the other, while also providing support for tourism promotion by leveraging the tools offered by AI.
The programme of activities for the Dual Year is being developed, but we can share in advance that there will be important events for travel agents and consumers (including new segments), a strong agenda and close collaboration with the cultural sector to promote Spanish destinations, and a few surprises too.
3. How has India fared as a tourism source market for Spain between the 10-year period from 2015 and 2025? In terms of visitations from India where are the statistics of 2024?
We have seen an impressive growth from India over a period of last 10 years. Since 2010 the number of Indian arrivals in Spain has increased on a constant basis, to reach over 222,000 arrivals in 2018 and then further enhancing it to achieve our all-time high of almost 250,000 visits in 2023. It has been a fantastic journey. We have actively experienced how Indian market has constantly chosen Spain as one its preferred European destinations.
With about 230,000 visits, the year 2024 saw the tourism demand getting stabilised, not just for Spain, but for other destinations as well. We will be soon publishing this data on our global website https://conocimiento.tourspain.es/en/. However, it is to be noted that since the various reports published on the website are targeted towards the Spanish tourism sector for a better understanding of Indian market, they are only available in Spanish. That’s why we also provide information in our in social media for B2B sector, LinkedIn and X, through our account, Spain in India, in English.
4. For tourism development beyond leisure, how keen are you to engage with the MICE segment in India?
This segment is indeed very important for us. The percentage of MICE tourism over the total number of travellers, according to our estimates, ranges between 30% and 40% of the total of arrivals. Major cities like Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia are already well-known for their MICE offering. But we also want to showcase other world-class alternatives such as Seville, Granada, Málaga, San Sebastián, Sitges or the Canary Islands that offer a perfect blend of modern infrastructure, rich cultural heritage and competitive operational costs.
In fact, our strength lies in these 3 key issues: highly developed transport infrastructures, a wide array of modern, high-quality hotels and an outstanding cultural and geographic diversity. The Spanish destinations also provide an excellent opportunity to combine incentive trips with luxury experiences, a diverse geographical landscape, and shopping and entertainment -from taking flamenco lesson to enjoying a football match with former Real Madrid or FC Barcelona players.
And everything must be said, the Spanish tourism sector is increasingly adapting to Indian needs with many hotel chains offering vegetarian menus that even include traditional Indian cuisine in some cases.
5. On an average, how many Indians choose Spain as the first-entry point to the Schengen area? How are you planning to increase this figure along with extending their average length of stay?
I can’t say about the results from other Schengen countries, but I can tell you about Spain. The evolution in the number of visas issued for Spain in recent years has been positive and is currently in a phase of stabilization.
Regarding the most updated information, the total number of visas issued by the Embassy of Spain in New Delhi and the Consulate General in Mumbai during the first four months of 2025 was 30,680. This is a provisional figure, reflecting a 10% decrease compared to the same period last year, which is consistent with the current phase of stabilization. In fact, it is reasonable to draw a parallel between the evolution of the number of applications and issuance of visas and the travelers to Spain, although there is no exact match between the both magnitudes.
I can also say that among the Indian travellers to Europe, around 98% positively plan to visit Spain in next 3 years, as per a recent market study conducted by our office; and around 24% of them would choose Spain as a mono-destination, while about 57% would spend a major part of their European itinerary in Spain. This trend can give an idea about the evolution of visa applications in the short term.
Regarding the second part of your question, the average length of stay of Indian tourists in Spain is 7.3 nights, with a notable increase of about 28% over the previous year. We are excited about these results as they reveal that Indian traveler values what Spain has to offer and he or she is prepared to discover new and authentic experiences in many Spanish destinations that are still quite unexplored.
6. What’s on the cards for travel trade outreach in India, at a time when competition is stiff and destinations from the MENA region are aggressively marketing their tourism products in India through varied platforms?
MENA destinations have shown excellent performance and offer significant travel opportunities for Indian tourists, provided the geopolitical context allows.
But I don´t feel this is a problem for Spain. The Indian outbound market holds immense potential which is enabling tourist flows to near-by countries as well long-haul destinations such as Spain. Spain is attracting both traditional tourists and, increasingly greater number of cosmopolitan travelers open to new experiences that are off the beaten track.
Spain is one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, ranking second only to France. This status is owed not only to its geographical, cultural, and natural diversity, its vast historical heritage, vibrant festivals and nightlife, but also to the outstanding professionalism of the tourism sector that fulfills high quality standards. These assets are what sustain Spain’s position, with nearly 100 million tourists visiting the country in 2024. Indian travelers are part of it, and I am confident that they will continue to be so increasingly in the future.