Holidays in Spain

The Spanish package holiday, consists of sand, sea and sun. Holiday reps escort people from the airport to a three or four star hotel with half board accommodation, they offer trips and fix any problems. Going to amusement parks, having a large drink or mingling with the opposite sex is everyone's idea of a good time. This type of holiday will always be the heart of Spain's tourist industry but it has now peaked. The Spanish holiday market is now segmented, firstly into different types of accommodation such as hotels, timeshare and holiday homes, and secondly for special interest groups looking for a cultural, rural, walking or adventure holiday. The new tourist concept is to develop Rural or Green Spain. It can be seen in national newspaper advertising and in promotional literature. The aim is to encourage tourists away from the Costa's to rural areas without ruining the environment. If successful it spreads revenue more equally across the country preventing the depopulation of rural areas. Rural or Green tourism goes hand in hand with rural accommodation, developing local crafts, initiatives such as reopening abandoned railway lines and old stations, enhancing the facilities at the Nature Reserves and promoting the mountains for recreation. Yet another goal lies in the development of spas. While there are over 300, many going back to Roman times, the majority of them aren't being used.