The internationalisation of Spanish hotel groups, airlines, operators, travel agencies, and technology companies has significantly modernised destinations and professionalised tourism activities across Ibero-America. In this process, Spanish firms have discovered dynamic markets, local talent, and new business experiences, establishing a reciprocal relationship that serves as a foundation for more ambitious cooperation.
Current global uncertainties, including geopolitical tensions, inflation, rising business costs, and energy volatility, are impacting connectivity, tourism flows, and profitability. Additionally, factors such as artificial intelligence, shifting demand, the need to attract and retain talent, and adaptation to climate change are reshaping the landscape. Competing effectively requires foresight, productivity, investment, and legal security.
Ibero-American cooperation can play a crucial role in navigating these transformations through knowledge exchange and the development of joint projects. Spain offers expertise in planning, destination management, innovation, and public-private collaboration, while Ibero-American countries provide business capabilities, territorial diversity, and development models from which all can learn.
The goal should be to generate tangible outcomes rather than merely sharing best practices. Investment serves as the link between business competitiveness, sustainability, and territorial development. Renovating establishments, modernising infrastructure, enhancing connectivity, incorporating technology, and adapting destinations to extreme climate phenomena require both public and private resources.
Sustainability extends beyond environmental concerns; it encompasses economic resilience and future growth potential. To mobilise capital, stable regulatory environments, access to financing, and viable long-term public-private collaboration frameworks are essential. This transformation must translate into opportunities for local territories, with success in tourism measured not only by visitor numbers but also by investment, job creation, economic activity, and the well-being of local communities.
The most competitive destinations will be those that integrate traveller expectations, resident needs, and business viability. Management of mobility, housing, public services, and heritage preservation are integral to this approach. Identity, culture, gastronomy, and legacy are also vital assets for differentiating tourism offerings.
An Ibero-American business agenda for tourism
Based on these principles, a cooperative agenda has been proposed, structured around five key areas:
- Knowledge: Establish networks among businesses, business organisations, institutions, and destinations to share experiences, develop tourism intelligence, anticipate trends, and improve decision-making.
- Investment: Foster business alliances and projects focused on modernisation, connectivity, offer renewal, and climate adaptation, supported by adequate financing, legal security, and public-private collaboration.
- Talent: Promote joint training, technological capacity building, knowledge exchange, and competency recognition to attract, develop, and retain skilled professionals.
- Innovation: Facilitate the adoption of artificial intelligence, data utilisation, and automation to enhance productivity, improve traveller experiences, and extend digital transformation to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
- Sustainability and territorial development: Share planning and management models that preserve natural and cultural resources, strengthen resilience, and harmonise local well-being with business activity.
Businesses must play a central role in this agenda due to their capacity to invest, innovate, internationalise, and generate employment. Strengthening dialogue with business organisations, reducing unnecessary barriers, and leveraging the complementarity between large companies and SMEs will facilitate their participation in value chains and access to new markets.
Spain and Ibero-America have a solid business relationship and complementary capabilities. Transforming these into a shared competitive advantage requires a long-term vision, institutional cooperation, and concrete projects. The future of Ibero-American tourism will not be built solely on attracting more visitors but on creating greater value, strengthening our companies, and turning each destination into an opportunity for shared development.
