ABSTRACT
Although the lack of incontrovertible statistical data catches the attention, commentators and professionals in the sector agree that urban tourism has been experiencing a stage of steady expansion for at least three decades now (Keller 2005). The example of Spain is illuminating. Although Spain arguably owes its status as one of the world’s top tourism destinations to its archetypal ‘sun, sea and sand’ brand, overnight stays in the capital Madrid rose by 27 per cent between 2003 and 2006, to reach 13.5 million (INE 2011); stays in Barcelona in that same period surpassed 11.2 million, with a 28 per cent increase; stays in Valencia increased by 47.5 per cent, reaching 5.6 million. In all three cases, growth rates surpass the national average (around 20 per cent), while Spain’s main beach destinations were virtually stagnating. Even when the global financial meltdown struck hard in Spain, in the 2006–09 period, urban destinations increased their market shares (Madrid +3 per cent, Barcelona +9 per cent, while the country as a whole slumped by –6 per cent). This trend is likewise confirmed in the most popular destination regions, and is changing the map of the ‘visited world’ at the fine scale (Richards 2007).
