Spain leads tourism competitiveness

Spain’s Minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism, Jose Manuel Soria, yesterday highlighted the tourism industry’s positive recent development. In 2014 there were more tourists than ever and they spent more than ever: 65 million international tourists and 63,000 million euros of spend.
Soria was responding to questions in Congress raised by a PSOE representative, Miguel Angel Heredia, who had reproached the government for having lied about a promise to reduce the tourist rate of IVA (VAT) and the minister for “not having done anything” to combat tourism seasonality.
Heredia also criticised the cutting by half of the tourism budget and the continuing presidency of the state-owned Parador hotels, Angeles Alarco.
Through taxes, Heredia said, the government had crushed small to medium-sized tourism businesses, a sector also suffering from unstable employment conditions and low salaries.