WTTC: Tourism becomes the largest industry in Spain with 15% of GDP

World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) stated (29-Aug-2019) travel and tourism became the largest contributor to Spain's economy, according to new WTTC Benchmarking research. WTTC stated: "Travel and Tourism is the largest sector in Spain in terms of its contribution to GDP and employment, contributing EUR176 billion to the nation's economy in 2018". The study compares the industry's economic impact to eight other key sectors (agriculture, mining, health, automotive manufacturing, retail, financial services, banking and construction). Travel and tourism contributes to 15% of Spain's GDP, overtaking construction (14%) and ahead of retail (12%) and health (12%). Travel and tourism was the second fastest growing sector (3.38% p/a) from 2010 to 2018, mainly driven by international spending, outpaced only by automotive manufacturing (3.44% p/a). [more - original PR]