Tourism in Spain has grown considerably during the last forty and has turned the southern European nation in one of the most popular destinations in the world. Currently, Spain is in the top three most popular international destinations after France and the United States. The country attracts tourists with its very good climate, historical, cultural heritage and entertainment opportunities.

The tourist industry in Cheap Car Rentals spain Airport started developing during the late years of the country’s dictator Franco. The first international tourists came from the Scandinavian countries, the United Kingdom, Germany and France mostly drawn by the very good climate in Spain.

According to the World Tourism Organization Spain attracted approximately 52.2 million foreign tourists during 2009. In terms of revenue the country ranks second with 40 billion euro in which represented around 5% of the GDP of the nation. This makes the tourism industry one of the national industries in the country.

Spain is very famous for its summer resorts and beaches. This was the first type of tourism to develop in the country and it has already very good traditions. The mild climate all year round and the many sandy beaches both on the Mediterranean Sea and on Atlantic Ocean create the best facilities for such tourism. Among the most popular ones are Costa Brava, Costa Daurada and Costa del Maresme in Catalonia; Salou in Barcelona; Costa del Azahar, Costa de Valencia and Costa Blanca in Valencia; Costa Calida, Costa Tropical, Costa del Sol in Andalucia as well as other locations in Malaga and Tenerife.

Old cities such as Seville, Granada, Cordoba, and Toledo offer a great variety of historical, religious and cultural sights. There are thirteen Spanish cities in the World Heritage Cities list. Spain is number two in Europe after Spain in terms of number of locations included in the World Heritage list by UNESCO.

Car rental companies that offer their services in Spain are Europcar, Hertz, Avis, Solmar, Alamo, National and Centauro.