Arrhant Чт дек 20, 2007 11:47 pm
Spain, from the beach to city destination – an urban transformation
Turismo de Sol y Playa = Benidorm, Marbella...etc
Turismo Urbano = Barcelona, Madrid, Bilbao...etc
One of the most impressive urban facelifts in recent years is that of Spain. The country's tourism - which used to rely on its beaches and was showing signs of saturation - went through an intense revamp in the 1990s to overtake the US as the second most visited country in 2001.
Barcelona's 1992 Olympic Games, not only transformed the city and the country, but marked the path for many other cities. The Catalan city wisely transformed its old town, invested heavily in infrastructure and developed a whole new city on the wave of the Olympics, attracting millions of tourists that continue to flock to Barcelona's busy streets. The country also hosted that year the Universal Expo in Seville.
In the late 1990s, a new branch of the Guggenheim Museum radically transformed Bilbao (141) attracting thousands of visitors from all over the world. Frank Gerhy's building showed the world how one single building could set cities firmly on the international map.
Valencia (93), with its City of Arts and Science and its brand new Opera House, both work of Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, expects to jump many places in the ranking in 2007, after hosting the 32nd American Cup in summer 2006. In 2008, Zaragoza (146) will host the World Expo, which will leave iconic buildings in the city, such as an impressive bridge pavillion by Pritzker awarded architect, Zaha Hadid.
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