Three ways Spain is updating its image

Yes, this is Spain, but the country has so much more to offer – and the message is getting out.

In a few weeks’ time, one will be unable to move for the sound of New Year’s Resolutions being made and broken.

This cultural phenomenon inflicts us all: young or old, rich or poor, European or American, determined or resigned to pay lip service to change but end next year the same you that began it.

Making lasting and wholesale changes to one’s personality and behaviour is pretty difficult; doing similar for an entire nation vastly more challenging.

But this is precisely what Spain has achieved over the past few years. For so long seen as a cheap-and-cheerful package holiday destination, a nation of sunshine, sangría and siesta, and an economy that only stays afloat due to the pounds and euros being spent by visitors from the country’s richer nations.

For a while, such stereotypes were more than a little accurate, or at least – this was indeed how people saw Spain. But through financial necessity and a growing confidence, Spain has been striding out in recent years showing a new, alternative face, and here are three ways that Spain has been updating its image…

1. Fine wines

France has dominated the fine wine landscape for so long, the names of Champagne, Châteauneuf du Pape and St Emillion are synonymous with quality. Spain, on the other hand, was better known for sangría and sherry – which must have been frustrating for the nation’s exceptional wineries.

But as New World wines from Australia to Chile opened up people’s eyes to quality beyond France, so Spain too has benefited. In September this year Spain made more money from wine exports than ever before, according to data from observation body OEMV. The average price paid for Spanish wine rose by 2.3% to €1.18 per litre in September, while over the first three quarters of the year exports brought in more than €2 billion.

2. Installing scenery in 3…2…1…

Spain is so much more than just white sandy beaches and historic cities. While the Mediterranean coastline is a dream for families, the wilder Atlantic coastline offers more dramatic vistas, world class surf and some superb cliff-backed coves.

But it is inland where Spain’s beauty is beginning to really shine. The World Economic Forum recently ranked Spain as the world’s most tourist-friendly country, chiefly because it has everything to keep any type of traveller happy. From mountains to olive groves, modern architecture to ancient palaces, and vast plains to rolling countryside, Spain really does have it all.

3. Financial strength

It is nearly a decade since Spain – along with most of Europe – was plunged into a deep and damaging recession. The majority of European nations were able to clamber back to financial surety within a couple of years, but Spain found this more difficult for a couple of reasons. The nation’s reliance on the overstretched construction industry damaged the speed of recovery, while tourism – also vital – eased off as cash-strapped tourists from elsewhere stayed home.

Spain’s socialist spine was also its undoing: water-tight employment contracts – a real bonus during the good times – became a heavy weight around Spain’s neck as the country found it increasingly difficult to keep its head above water.

Fast forward to 2017 and Spain is one of Europe’s best-performing economies. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy may be a divisive figure, but his tough labour reforms have had a positive impact, while home building and tourism figures are returning to healthy levels. Young, educated Spaniards are also coming back home in their droves – a sure sign that Spain can now proudly compete.