Tourist Office of Spain promotes travel to diverse regions for 2025
The Tourist Office of Spain treated Toronto’s travel trade to some Mediterranean hospitality on Nov. 28, providing the latest tourism updates with a side of tapas.
Isabel Martin-Benitez, the tourist office’s new director in Canada, shared that Canadian visitation to Spain remains strong, with the first nine months of 2024 bringing 520,000 arrivals. On their Spanish travels, Canadians most commonly seek connections to local culture and heritage, unique gastronomic experiences and sunny beaches. And while the most visited areas are Madrid, Catalonia and Andalusia, regions like Valencia and the Basque Country are seeing rising visitation.
Indeed, direct service from Montreal to Valencia with Air Transat was just announced for next summer, which will be the tenth direct route to Spain from Canada.
Let Spain leave its mark on you
In 2025, the tourist office will promote meeting, incentive, conference and event opportunities in the 16,000 hotels throughout the country. They will also work to capture booming markets like solo female travlelers and snowbirds. And, recognizing that parts of Spain experience intense overtourism, the overarching theme for 2025 will be sustainability.
Visitors are encouraged to travel responsibly through one of the tourist office’s latest mottos, “leave no footprint on your journey, let Spain leave its mark on you.” Enjoying farm to table cuisine and making use of the extensive public transportation and high speed train systems are just some of the many ways to do so.
Martin-Benitez said, “Our message is this: come to Spain, but do so in a responsible way.”
Regional tourism a focus for 2025
In light of this theme, the tourist office will focus on promoting four less visited regions: Valencia, Castilla y León, the Canary Islands, and Green Spain, an area named for its lush foliage which comprises the provinces of Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Basque Country.
According to Martin-Benitez, each region has distinct characteristics that everyone from solo to multigenerational travelers will appreciate, whether they’re seeking pristine nature and exciting sports or Michelin-starred restaurants and wine routes.
She also encourages travellers to stay in a parador, one of the 98 heritage buildings (think castles and monasteries) across the country that now serve as hotels. Not only do paradores provide a completely unique accommodation experience, they also support smaller regional economies.
Travel trade engagement on the horizon
With the tourist office eager to showcase these experiences, travel advisors can look forward to plenty of FAM opportunities in 2025. Representatives will also host and attend regular events across Canada to educate and network with the travel trade—and you’ll likely notice their presence at multiple consumer events as well.
For more information, visit spain.info/en and sustainability.spain.info/en.
