Spain leads Europe in outlook for travel experiences: Arival

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Spain’s travel experiences sector is outperforming the global marketplace for tours and attractions. According to Arival’s Global Operator Landscape 3rd. Ed., a survey of 7,000 tour, activity and attraction operators worldwide, operators in Spain report higher growth in 2024 and a more positive outlook for 2025 compared to the rest of Europe and global market.

The revelation comes ahead of Arival 360, Arival’s annual event for the experiences industry, which will be held in Valencia for the first time this year.  Taking place from April 28-30 at the Valencia Conference Centre, this must-attend European gathering – which for the past five years has been held in Berlin – will bring together creators and sellers of tours, activities, experiences, and attractions to learn, connect, and grow their businesses.

“After remarkable double-digit growth for the global travel experiences sector in 2022 and 2023, growth slowed in 2024 to single digits, as the surge of post-pandemic demand receded and inflation tempered travelers’ capacity to spend,” said Douglas Quinby, CEO, and co-founder of Arival. “But Spain has stood apart. Demand for travel to the country, to experience its rich cultural heritage and numerous attractions and experiences, represents enormous opportunity for operators and resellers.”

Arival’s Global Operator Landscape 3rd. Ed., was conducted in the second half of 2024 and included qualified responses from more than 600 operators of tours, activities and visitor attractions in Spain, and 7,000 worldwide.

Here are key findings of the Spanish travel experiences sector:

• Half of all operators reported growth in 2024 over 2023, vs. 38% globally.
• Three in four Spain operators (74%) say they are optimistic about 2025, vs. 62% of global operators.
• Spain’s operators are online: 58% of all bookings are made online, both through operators own websites (25%) and online travel agencies (33%).
• OTAs and other resellers play a bigger role in tours, activities and attractions in Spain. Operators there report working with 10 distribution partners, vs. a global average of eight.
• Spain’s operators are ahead on tech. More Spanish operators:
  • use a modern booking system, (68% vs. 60% of operators globally)
  • connect to resellers vis booking system APIs (46% vs. 31% globally)
  • are using or actively experimenting with AI in their operators (43% vs. 37% globally).

“The experiences industry in Spain is thriving and fast-changing, and the operator landscape is evolving quickly,” said Alberto Gutiérrez, CEO of Civitatis.  “We see immense potential in Spain and Latin America, and Arival’s focus on innovation and collaboration within the in-destination experiences sector aligns perfectly with our mission to connect travelers with unforgettable experiences.  This event will be instrumental in driving the continued growth and success of our industry in these dynamic markets.”

Arival 360 | Valencia will offer attendees exclusive insights from the latest Arival research, the latest on tech, AI, marketing, sustainability and experiences innovations, inspiring talks and in-depth interviews with industry leaders and interactive learning sessions. The event’s program will also feature live translation of key sessions in multiple languages , making the event accessible to attendees from across the globe.

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