The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department

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The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
The evolution of tourism in Spain.
The case study of Benidorm (Alicante)

          Ana Espinosa Seguí
          Ana.Espinos@ua.es
          Human Geography Department
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
The evolution of tourism in Spain.
The case study of Benidorm (Alicante)

OBJECTIVES OF THIS PRESENTATION:

- Analyse the evolution of tourism activities in Benidorm

- Use this coastal town of Spain as an example of the
Spanish sun and sand tourism evolution

- Travel around the history of this representative town for
the regional economy

- Analyse the past, present and future of Benidorm as the
capital of tourism in Costa Blanca
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
Benidorm
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
- is one of the most traditional sun and sand tourist
destinations of the Mediterranean coast of Spain

- is a good example for studying the tourism
phenomenon in Spain

- is a town with almost 80,000 inhabitants but 1,748,564
visitors and 10,495,788 overnight stays per year (data
from 2012)

- is the place with the highest density of skyscrapers per
inhabitant worldwide, and the second one after New York
due to its number per square meter

- has the highest hotel in Europe (Hotel Bali ****)
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
Photo: Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
Climate diagram of Benidorm
(liters/m2)                                                                                      tª
120                                                                                              30

100                                                                                              25

 80                                                                                              20

 60                                                                                              15

 40                                                                                              10

 20                                                                                              5

  0                                                                                              0
       Jan.   Feb.   March    April   May    June       July   August   Sept   Oct   Nov   Dec

                                                                                 1. Benidorm
                                                                                 has a very
                                                                                 mild weather

      Photo: Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
2. There is a local entrepreneurial basis

               Hotel structure in Benidorm in 2009
                                  4% 4%
                                                                     International companies

                                                                     National companies

                                                    30%
        50%                                                          Benidorm companies
                                                                     (regional scale)
                                                                     Local companies

                                                                     Independent hotels
                                        12%

Source: Own elaboration with dat from (Vera, Rodríguez and Capdepón, 2010)
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
3. Loyal, durable and stable business relationships
between Benidorm hotels and main countries of
emission: United Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway…

                                BBC serial “Benidorm”
The evolution of tourism in Spain. The case study of Benidorm (Alicante) - Ana Espinosa Seguí Human Geography Department
4. Profuse and well designed complementary offer

                                                             Theme
                                                              parks
                  Photos: courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
4. Profuse and well designed complementary offer

                                                          Powerful restaurant
                                                              industry
                                                         Units
                                                         600

                                                         500      570

                                                         400

                                                         300
         Golf courses                                    200
                                                                              303

Photo: courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
                                                         100                             157        133
                                                           0
                                                                 Bars    Restaurants Disco-pubs   Cafeterias
                                                            Source: Benidorm en cifras, 2012.

                                  Source: www.realbenidorm.net
4. Profuse and well designed complementary offer

Benidorm palace. Opened in 1977
Source: blog.ilovecostablanca.com

                                    Source: www.rh-hotels.co.uk

Music, dance, theatre shows
4. Profuse and well designed complementary offer

                                      Leisure offer
Units

        30

        20

        10

        0
               Disco       Gaming   Bingos   Cinemas   Theme    Circus   Mini golf
                            rooms                       parks

Source: Benidorm en cifras, 2012.

Music, dance, theatre shows
5. Complementary destinations in the proximity

                                            Source: www.guadalest.es/

Source: http://www.lasfuentesdelalgar.com                               Source: http://www.noticiasdot.com
Population
 Number of
inhabitants
80.000

70.000
60.000

50.000
40.000

30.000
20.000

10.000
     0
         1.595
                 1.768
                         1.794
                                 1.831
                                         1.860
                                                 1.887
                                                         1.908
                                                                 1.920
                                                                         1.936
                                                                                 1.950
                                                                                         1.960
                                                                                                 1.970
                                                                                                         1.981
                                                                                                                 1.984
                                                                                                                         1.991
                                                                                                                                 1.995
                                                                                                                                         1.997
                                                                                                                                                 1.999
                                                                                                                                                         2.001
                                                                                                                                                                 2.003
                                                                                                                                                                         2.005
                                                                                                                                                                                 2.007
                                                                                                                                                                                         2.009
  Data courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
Photo: courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
Before the 1950s,    1939: End of      Crisis of spa
Benidorm was a       the Spanish       tourism focused
fishermen village.   Civil War         on high classes

1950: National       1939-1975:        After the Second
tourism started in   Franco’s          World War:
the village          Dictatorship in   economic recovery
                     Spain             in the bulk of
1952: One of the                       Western European
biggest tuna         1953:             countries that
fishery was closed   Agreements        provoked mass
down in the          between Spain     international
municipality.        and USA           tourism trips
1956: First General    1959: Agreement         Rise of massive sun
Urban Development      between the Spanish     and sand tourism in
Plan in Benidorm: a    Office for the USA      the Mediterranean
tourism devoted town   relationships and the   coasts of France,
is planned along the   US International        Italy and Spain
main beaches           Cooperation
                       Administration.         1964: Spain became
Until 1959: 4 hotels
were opened in                                 the first tourist
                       In 3 years, USA
Benidorm                                       destination
                       granted a loan of
                       more than 1.9 million
1959: International                            1957: 30,000 tourists
                       EUR for the
Benidorm Song          development of          flew from UK to
Festival               tourism in Spain.       Valencia with British
                                               European Airways
1959: The Mayor of     Hilton hotels entered   and chose Benidorm
Benidorm allowed the   into the Spanish        as the final
use of bikini in the   market                  destination for their
beaches of the town.                           holidays
Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
Constructive
typology
proposed in
the First
General Urban
Development
Plan in
Benidorm

Courtesy of the Town
Council of Benidorm
Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
Opening of new hotels in Benidorm (units)

    2001-2009
    1991-2000

    1981-1990
    1971-1980

    1960-1970
    1950-1959
 Before 1950

                 0           10           20          30           40         50   60

Source: Own elaboration with data from (Vera, Rodríguez and Capdepón, 2010)
Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
1962: Construction     1959: Stabilisation   Tourists from
of the bull fighting   Plan                  Western Europe
square of              - More economic       arrived to Spain
Benidorm.              flexibility           with their own
                       - More real           cars
1963: Second           exchange rate
                       mechanism             Due to the higher
General Urban
Development Plan                             proximity,
                       National tourism      Catalonia was
in Benidorm which
                       was very scarce
allowed higher                               the first region
                       due to the low
skyscrapers and a                            being
                       purchasing power of
low habitat density                          consolidated as
                       the Spanish
in the town            population            a tourism area
1964: Spain            European tourists
1970: the airport of   overcame Italy and     enjoyed a very
Alicante was           became the             good value for
opened.                worldwide tourism      money due to the
                       leader
                                              low prices of the
1975: the motorway                            Spanish tourism
                       Spain was focused
between Alicante       on attracting mass     industry (lower
and Benidorm was       tourism from           than the neighbor
built up               European countries     countries)

1985: Opening of       From the 1960s:        Cheap houses
Aqualandia             The Spanish image
                                              and land helped
amusement park         is based on
                       stereotypes and        foreign investors
                       cultural and           to buy houses in
                       religious traditions   tourist areas
From 1980, offer       1975: starting of the    International
during the             democracy                tourism
wintertime uses                                 companies
half of the “sun and   1986: Entrance in the    cornered the
sand product”          EU
                                                Spanish domestic
(pensioners from                                market
Spain and the rest     In the last decades,
of Europe) looking     tourism has been
                                                Tour operators
for SUN and mild       planned by regional
                       governments, being       controlled a large
weather
                       committed to raise the   part of hotel offer
                       quality of the offer     and services
Around 20% of the
                       (more diversified,       (shows, theme
hotels close during
                       environmental friendly   parks…)
the wintertime
                       and sustainable)
„The sun passes the
                                            winter in Benidorm
                                            and the breeze, the
                                              summertime”

Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
Registred inhabitants during the period 1997-2011

                                                    Total

                                                Spanish
                                                people

                                               Foreign
                                               people

                                               Source:
                                               Benidorm
                                               en cifras
                                               2012
Evolution of tourists during the period 1997-2011

                                                Total

                                                National
                                                tourists
                                                Foreign
                                                tourists

                                                Source:
                                                Benidorm
                                                en cifras
                                                2012
- 2000: Opening of Terra Mítica amusement park

- 2000: Opening of Aqua Natura and Terra Natura amusement
park

- From 2005, Benidorm covers the niche market of luxurious
hotels with 1024 hotel rooms in 5 stars hotels

- Part of the hotel room offer has been upgraded or renovated.

- British tourists are the first market, followed by Dutch tourists. In
the last years, Russian and Polish tourism has significantly
grown.

- Many ex-tourists from Western Europe became residents in the
surroundings of Benidorm
Source: https://maps.google.es
In the last decade, internet opened new possibilities
for direct sale of tourist products:
   - not so dependent on tour operators
   - Many British tourists book now directly on internet

NEW TRENDS IN BENIDORM:
- Reconvert the excess of room offer to apartments or
offices
- Gain accesibility and safety in old buildings and built
more sustainable buildings
Source:
                                                  Benidorm
Hotel beds category during the period 1997-2011   en cifras
                                                  2012

                                                   3***

                                                    4****

                                                       2**

                                                       5*****
                                                  1*
Solid waste collection (2012)
(tonnes)

  7.000

  6.000

  5.000

  4.000

  3.000

  2.000
               Jan.      Feb.   March   April   May     June     July     Aug.    sept.     Oct.    Nov.    Dec.

                                    Water consumption (2012)
   Litres

1.400.000
1.200.000
1.000.000
  800.000
  600.000
  400.000                                                                                                           Source:
                                                                                                                    Benidorm
  200.000                                                                                                           en cifras
           0                                                                                                        2012
                  Jan.     Feb. March April       May     June     July    Aug.     sept.    Oct.    Nov.    Dec.
Monthly rate of hotel occupancy in Benidorm

        January
       February
         March
           April
            May
           June
            July
         August
    September
        October
     November
     December

                   0               20   40   60       80     100   %
Source: Benidorm en cifras, 2012
Annual rate of hotel occupancy
  %
 90

 80

 70

 60

 50

 40
       Madrid   Barcelona      San      Benidorm    Adeje     Calvià   Palm a de   Pájara   Salou   Arona
                            Bartolom é                                 Mallorca
                            de Tirajana
                                             2006      2007     2008      2009     2010     2011

Source: www.ine.es
Accomodation offer (2012)

                                    Campings
                                      15%

                         Apartments                 Hotels
                            29%                      55%

            Cheap hotels and
             guest houses
                  1%

Source: Benidorm en cifras, 2012.
Days of stay of
       tourists
8

7

6

5

4
         2006         2007    2008          2009        2010   2011
                             Costa Blanca          Benidorm

Source: www.ine.es
Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
- Excessive dependence on the British market

- Benidorm is increasing direct sales through internet in order
to decrease foreign tour operators dependence.

- Benidorm has mantained a high density habitat

                                           -It is surrounded by
                                           municipalities that
                                           have used the capital
                                           of Costa Blanca as an
                                           anchor for urban
                                           sprawl.

Courtesy of the Town Council of Benidorm
- History Channel: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=scxqyBx8lxI

- Benidorm en cifras (2012).

- Pellejero Martínez, C. (2002): La política turística en la España del
siglo XX: una visión general, Historia contemporánea, nº 25, 233-
265 pp.

-Sánchez Sánchez, E. (2001): El auge del turismo europeo en la
España de los años sesenta, Arbor CLXX, 669, 201-224 pp.

- Vera Rebollo, JF; Capdepón, M. (2010): Reestructuración y
competitividad en destinos maduros de sol y playa: la renovación de
la planta hotelera de Benidorm. Available online:
http://rua.ua.es/dspace/handle/10045/14180
The evolution of tourism in Spain.
The case study of Benidorm (Alicante)

          Ana Espinosa Seguí
          Ana.Espinos@ua.es
          Human Geography Department
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