A guided tour familiarised the participants with some of the city’s most iconic sites
According to data provided by the Embassy of Australia, over 200,000 Australian tourists visit Spain every year. They are among the millions of visitors who make Spain one of the world's top tourist destinations year after year. Despite the geographical distance working against them, Australian tourists are potentially highly attractive targets for the Spanish market, as they do not need a visa to travel and have considerable purchasing power.
Tourism as the cornerstone of Spain's economy and the country's appeal as a tourist destination was yet another topic included in the 2016 Australian Leaders programme, which featured visits to the most iconic sites in its host cities. During the part of the programme held in Madrid there was a guided bus and walking tour of the city. The Leaders enjoyed landmark sights such as Puerta del Sol, Plaza Mayor, Cibeles and Plaza de Oriente.
Madrid's cultural, culinary and retail offering makes it one of Spain’s top tourist destinations. According to data put out by the Department for Employment, Tourism and Culture, nine million people visited the city in 2015, of whom over half were foreigners. Although most are European (mainly French, Italian and British), the number of Asian visitors (Chinese, Japanese and Korean) has been growing materially over the past few years. Madrid is also a national leader in terms of average expenditure per visitor, at over 1,200 euros.
Australian Leaders Programme: Activity summary
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