Sectoral diversification and impact of tourism
The Catalan production model stands out for its great sectoral diversification and its ability to overcome economic crises. However, it has been observed that the tourism sector is oversized, especially mass tourism. This sector represents approximately 12% of Catalan GDP and employs around 475,200 people, which represents 13% of total employment. Despite this, it must be taken into account that tourism can generate problems such as saturation, lack of local workers and low wages.
Data from the tourism sector in Catalonia
During 2023, Catalonia recovered almost all levels of activity prior to the pandemic. 27 million travelers were accommodated in 500,000 places available in the tourism sector. In addition, the airports handled the traffic of 19.4 million passengers on international flights, with Catalonia as the first destination for 18.2 million of these passengers. The total expenditure of tourists was 21.2 billion euros. It also received a total of 6.4 million tourism travelers from the rest of the State, with an expenditure of 2.7 billion euros.
Forecasts and concerns
Forecasts for 2024 indicate that the tourism sector will reach records and exceed the levels of the year 2019, considered the best year to date. It is predicted that the Spanish tourism GDP (applicable to Catalonia) will increase by 7% in real terms compared to 2019, and that the arrival of international tourists will grow by 3.8% compared to 2023.
Despite this growth, there is concern in some business circles about the excessive growth of the tourism sector. It has been observed that tourist saturation can affect the quality of life of residents, public transport and other aspects of coexistence. In addition, despite the creation of jobs, the tourism sector has difficulty finding local workers, and 36% of workers in the Hospitality sector are foreigners.
Strategic reflection on mass tourism
In this context, there is a call for a strategic reflection on mass tourism and the need to regulate the sector. It must be considered whether mass tourism is the most suitable tourism model for Catalonia and whether it is necessary to approve projects such as the expansion of El Prat airport and the Hard Rock, which are aligned with mass tourism.
In summary, the Catalan production model stands out for its sectoral diversification, but the possible negative effects of mass tourism and the need to regulate the sector to guarantee a sustainable balance must be taken into account.
