"Spain has a variety of festivals every month throughout the year by region. If Korea also differentiates regional festivals and lets them take root, foreign tourists will go not only to big cities but also to provincial cities. Public transportation is important along with accommodations. It should be managed to give a comfortable feeling, like visiting a friend's home."
Ambassador Lim Su-seok to Spain said this in an interview with ChosunBiz held at the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Spain in Madrid on the 13th (local time), answering a question about "Korea's strategy to attract tourists."
Ambassador Lim said, "Many cities in Korea, including Seoul and Busan, as well as Gyeongju and Yeosu, are well known to foreigners," and "Through region-specific storytelling, we must build our own appeal."
Spain is the world's No. 2 tourism powerhouse after France. According to the Embassy of the Republic of Korea in Spain, 95.6 million foreign tourists visited Spain last year. Following 93.8 million in 2024, it was a record high for the second straight year. There are projections that this year will surpass 100 million.
Ambassador Lim said, "Madrid and Barcelona in Spain hold a variety of heritages along with cityscapes, and on the coasts there are legacies such as the Islamic civilization," adding, "That is why Spain is called a country with a thousand faces." He added, "There is even a saying that no one comes to Spain only once—if you come once, you come twice."
Services account for as much as 75.8% of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP). However, Spain is seeking to change its service-centered economic structure focused on tourism. The COVID-19 pandemic became the momentum. In 2020, when COVID-19 spread, the number of foreign tourists visiting Spain fell below 20 million. That year Spain's real growth rate was -10.9%.
Ambassador Lim said, "Like other Mediterranean countries, Spain suffered significant economic damage during COVID-19," and added, "Recently it has been working to foster advanced future growth engines such as electric vehicles, batteries, renewable energy, and semiconductors." He continued, "Through wind and solar power generation, electricity is cheap and abundant, which is an attractive factor for foreign investment corporations," and "Locally, people are waiting for domestic semiconductor corporations to enter."
Among industrial sectors, Spain is strong in construction. It is the world's No. 3 country for overseas construction orders after China and France. Including ACS, the world's No. 1 global contractor, eight of the world's top 200 construction companies are Spanish.
Ambassador Lim said, "Madrid has a similar area to Seoul and a smaller population, but the core downtown underground roadways are well built," adding, "What takes 40 to 50 minutes above ground takes 20 minutes underground. The underground road network is laid out like a spider web."
He said, "This is the strength of Spanish architecture," and added, "Seeing the operation of Spain's underpasses, many from overseas come to benchmark." Ambassador Lim advised that local governments in Korea that are planning to build road networks need to benchmark Madrid's transportation network.
Ambassador Lim marks the second anniversary of taking office in Aug. He stressed that during his tenure he set the protection of the rights and interests of our people and corporations as the top priority of his work. Ambassador Lim said, "I will build as many bridges as possible linking Korea and Spain," and added, "We will pursue various avenues of cooperation, including the economy, culture and arts, and exchanges among local governments."