Poor tourism policy will eventually kill Spain

It’s not just coastal regions which have issues with poor tourism management, it has reached the peaks of the mountains as well.

Perfect skiing conditions in Spain. | Humphrey Carter

Humphrey CarterPalma04/04/2025 09:46

I last went to Cerler, which has the highest skiing in all of the Pyrenees, in Aragon, northeastern Spain, three years ago. For decades it has been famous not only for its skiing but its location and atmosphere - granted it’s very Spanish - I was the only Brit in the village! However, the tension has risen up the mountain this year and all is not well.

Protest banners hang from balconies, graffiti has sprung up on the road up from Benasque down the valley and it is all because of plans to build a cable car from Benasque, which is hugely popular with activity and adventure tourists and families all year round, up to the Cerler resort. It is a five-kilometre drive between the two and the mountain road is excellent but, furthermore, providing the skiing conditions are good, they were perfect last week.

Cerler is always full - cable car or not, hence why in Cerler they don’t want it and they intend to fight it. They fear it will lead to massification and overcrowding and spark mass construction in the resort to cater for the significant increase in people using the cable car from Benasque where hoteliers and local businesses are going to make even more of a killing.

Should the project go ahead it will tear the heart and soul out of the whole region and force prices up, a bit like what I’ve witnessed in parts of Mallorca.