Tourism in Gibraltar

Last updated

Greeting sign at the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal. The Greeting At The Port.jpg
Greeting sign at the Gibraltar Cruise Terminal.

Tourism in Gibraltar constitutes one of the British Overseas Territory's most important economic pillars, alongside financial services and shipping. [1] Gibraltar's main attractions are the Rock of Gibraltar and its resident population of Barbary macaques (or "apes"), the territory's military heritage, duty-free shopping, casinos and marinas. [2] Although the population of Gibraltar numbers only some 30,000 people, [3] the territory recorded nearly 12 million visits in 2011, [4] giving it one of the highest tourist-to-resident ratios in the world. [5]

Contents

The Government of Gibraltar has sought to develop the tourism sector to replace Gibraltar's former dependence on the British military, its chief economic mainstay until cuts in the UK's Ministry of Defence budget led to the gradual run-down in the military presence after the 1980s. Gibraltar's marinas – one of which was the first to have been built in the region – have made Gibraltar an important hub for sea transport for over 50 years. A tourist boom began in the mid-1980s but stalled by the end of the decade before being boosted again in the mid-1990s by a programme of Government investment and marketing. The building of the new Gibraltar Cruise Terminal, a new airport terminal, pedestrianisation of key streets, redevelopment of historic buildings in the city centre and improvements to tourist attractions elsewhere on the peninsula have helped to increase tourist numbers considerably since the turn of the 21st century.

Development of tourism in Gibraltar

Grand Casemates Square, renovated and pedestrianised in the late 1990s. Grand Casemates Square.jpg
Grand Casemates Square, renovated and pedestrianised in the late 1990s.
Signage erected on the Rock of Gibraltar by the Gibraltar Tourist Board. Gibraltar Tourist Board signs.jpg
Signage erected on the Rock of Gibraltar by the Gibraltar Tourist Board.
The Windsor Bridge in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve Windsor Bridge, Gibraltar.jpg
The Windsor Bridge in the Upper Rock Nature Reserve

For much of Gibraltar's history as a British territory, its economy relied on its dual status as a key British military base and a trading entrepôt at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea. Tourism first became significant between the two World Wars and expanded considerably after World War II due to the opening of Gibraltar's first marina, built in 1961, as it was the first in the region and began to attract increasing numbers of yachts and cruise ships. [6]

Gibraltar's tourist trade was devastated by the Spanish government's 1969 decision to implement a total closure of the Gibraltar-Spain border as a consequence of the political dispute over Gibraltar's status. [2] Visitor numbers collapsed over the subsequent decade. [7] The border was not reopened (and then only partially) until 1982 and was finally reopened fully on 5 February 1985. A flood of visitors poured into the territory after the border reopened; 45,000 people entered Gibraltar within the first week, rising to over 10,000 per day over Easter 1985. Within only six months, a million people had visited, [8] rising to two million by the end of the year. [7] Air traffic doubled as tour operators began offering packages combining Gibraltar with the Costa del Sol. [8] By 1986, five million visitors a year – 60,000 weekly – were arriving in Gibraltar. The airport resumed its role before the frontier closure of acting as a gateway to the Costa del Sol; 90,000 visitors came by air annually, of whom 22,000 headed on to the resorts of the Costa del Sol. [9]

To make room for the expected flood of visitors' cars on Gibraltar's crowded roads, 1,000 old vehicles were rounded up and pushed off the cliffs into the sea at Europa Point at the southern tip of the territory. [10] Despite this drastic measure, parking spaces were in critically short supply as over 1,000 vehicles per day entered Gibraltar after the reopening of the border. [8] The territory enjoyed a retail, accommodation and catering boom, though it came at the price of chronic traffic problems and threats to the environment, notably disturbances to the macaque and bird populations. [11] The number of macaques grew very rapidly as a result of (illegal) feeding by tourists, which also led to an increase in aggressive behaviour as the monkeys came to associate humans with food. The problems culminated in 2008 with the Government of Gibraltar ordering the culling of a rogue group of monkeys that was breaking into hotel rooms and scavenging in bins in the Catalan Bay area. The cull was protested by researchers and animal rights campaigners but was justified by the Government on the grounds that the overly aggressive monkeys would frighten tourists and cause damage to the economy. [12]

The running-down of the British military presence in Gibraltar in the 1980s and 1990s forced the territory's Government to carry out a major shift in its economic orientation, with a greater emphasis on encouraging tourism and establishing self-sufficiency. [13] By this time, however, tourist growth had stalled with hotel bed occupancy in the territory at under 30% in 1993. [14] Tourism became an important issue in the elections of 16 May 1996. The newly elected Chief Minister, Peter Caruana, pledged to revive Gibraltar's faltering economy by expanding the tourist trade. [15] The new Government carried out a programme of improvements to the port facilities including the construction of a new passenger terminal to welcome cruise ship visitors. New marketing initiatives were established, such as Gibraltar joining the MedCruise Association to help promote the Mediterranean as a cruise destination and establish common standards for port facilities. [16] £5.2 million was invested in improving the airport terminal, while Main Street was refurbished and pedestrianised. A number of old garrison buildings were redeveloped for leisure and retail use, notably the area around Grand Casemates Square, which was formerly used as a car park. [17] The tourism improvement programme led to a major increase in visitor numbers, which rose from four million in 1996 to seven million in 2001 and overnight stays also rose by 30%. [18] By 2006 tourism contributed more to Gibraltar's economy than any other sector, [19] with visitors spending an estimated £279.41 million in 2011. [4]

In 2014, Huffington Post placed Gibraltar on its list of 10 most disappointing tourist locations. [20] [21]

Visitor numbers and demographics

Ocean Village Marina in Gibraltar, a luxury marina resort with premier berths for yachts. Ocean Village berths with rock behind.jpg
Ocean Village Marina in Gibraltar, a luxury marina resort with premier berths for yachts.
An EasyJet aircraft taxiing on Gibraltar Airport's runway EasyJet aircraft crossing Winston Churchill Avenue in Gibraltar.jpg
An EasyJet aircraft taxiing on Gibraltar Airport's runway

In 2011, 11,940,543 visitor arrivals were recorded in Gibraltar, of whom 11,424,581 arrived by land, 351,534 by sea and 164,428 by air; the number of land arrivals excluding cross-border workers was 9,616,781. [4] Visitor demographics are dominated by day-trippers from neighbouring Spain – 90 per cent of visits [22] are made on excursions from Spain, either local Spanish people or Britons visiting or residing in Spain, many coming from the nearby Costa del Sol. A smaller number of visitors, mostly from the United Kingdom, stay for at least one night in the territory. [2] The average stay is 4.1 nights as of 2011. [4] Tourism is generally year-round thanks to Gibraltar's hospitable climate, [22] with the August peak only about 50% higher than the January low. [4]

The numbers and relative proportions of visitors have changed considerably over the last 40 years. During the years of the closure of the land border, the majority of visitors arrived by sea. The number arriving by sea remained fairly stable until the mid-1990s [23] but has grown considerably since then due to an increasing number in visits from cruise ships, over 100 of which now visit annually. [6] The number of arrivals by air rose through the 1980s to a peak of 62,438 in 1989 but stagnated for some years afterwards, rising only to 66,219 in 1996. Numbers increased substantially during the 2000s as low-cost airlines Monarch and EasyJet launched flights to the territory. As of 2011, air arrivals constitute only about 1.4% of all visitors, [4] down from 38% in 1974 during the frontier closure. [23] Both air and sea traffic is dominated by British visitors; over 80% of departing air passengers leave for the UK, while 93% of cruise passengers are also British. By contrast, nearly 80% of day visitors by land (and thus effectively 80% of all visitors) are Spanish nationals. [4]

Gibraltar's tourist trade is hindered by a number of factors. The small size of the territory means that there is an acute shortage of land for expanding tourist facilities and major pieces of infrastructure such as the Gibraltar airport. Accommodation (constituting hotels, guesthouses and self-catering facilities) is consequently limited. Smuggling between Gibraltar and Spain remains a source of tension between the two governments and occasionally leads to long delays for vehicle traffic crossing the border during Spanish Civil Guard crackdowns. [2]

The ongoing political dispute with Spain has also hampered the development of transport links. It was not until as recently as December 2006, following the signing of the Cordoba Agreement, that direct flights between Madrid and Gibraltar were re-established, [24] Air traffic had previously been obstructed (at previous times, flights to and from Gibraltar were not even permitted to fly over Spain) as the Spanish did not recognise the British sovereignty over the land where the airport is located and demanded a joint operation of it and the right to treat the airport as a domestic (Spanish) facility, but since the 2006 Agreement between Britain and Spain, air travel to and from Gibraltar has been conducted without hindrance. [2]

Related Research Articles

Gibraltar has a limited public transport system, due to the compact size of the territory.

Tourism in Puerto Rico attracts millions of visitors each year, with more than 5.1 million passengers arriving at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in 2022, a 6.5% increase from 2021, the main point of arrival into the island of Puerto Rico. With a $8.9 billion revenue in 2022, tourism has been a very important source of revenue for Puerto Rico for a number of decades given its favorable warm climate, beach destinations and its diversity of natural wonders, cultural and historical sites, festivals, concerts and sporting events. As Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the United States, U.S. citizens do not need a passport to enter Puerto Rico, and the ease of travel attracts many tourists from the mainland U.S. each year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Australia</span>

Tourism in Australia is an important part of the Australian economy, and comprises domestic and international visitors. Australia is the fortieth most visited country in the world according to the World Tourism Organization. In the financial year 2018/19, tourism was Australia's fourth-largest export and over the previous decade was growing faster than national GDP growth. At the time it represented 3.1% of Australia's GDP contributing A$60.8 billion to the national economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Costa del Sol</span> Coastal area in Andalusia, Spain

The Costa del Sol is a region in the south of Spain in the autonomous community of Andalusia, comprising the coastal towns and communities along the coastline of the Province of Málaga and the eastern part of Campo de Gibraltar in Cádiz. Formerly made up only of a series of small fishing settlements, today the region is a world-renowned tourist destination. The Costa del Sol is situated between two lesser known coastal regions, the Costa de la Luz and the Costa Tropical.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar International Airport</span> Airport in Gibraltar

Gibraltar International Airport, previously known as North Front Airport, is the civilian airport that serves the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. The runway and aerodrome is owned by the Ministry of Defence (MoD), and operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF) as RAF Gibraltar. Civilian operators use the civilian-operated terminal. National Air Traffic Services (NATS) hold the contract for provision of air navigation services at the airport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar</span> British Overseas Territory on the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula

Gibraltar is a British Overseas Territory and city located at the southern tip of the Iberian Peninsula, on the Bay of Gibraltar, near the exit of the Mediterranean Sea into the Atlantic Ocean. It has an area of 6.8 km2 (2.6 sq mi) and is bordered to the north by Spain. The landscape is dominated by the Rock of Gibraltar, at the foot of which is a densely populated town area, home to some 34,003 people, primarily Gibraltarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Latin America and the Caribbean</span>

Tourism is one of the Caribbean's major economic sectors, with 25 million visitors contributing $49 billion towards the area's gross domestic product in 2013, which represented 14% of its total GDP. It is often described as, "the most tourism-dependent region in the world".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Iceland</span>

Tourism in Iceland has grown considerably in economic significance in the past 15 years. As of 2016, the tourism industry is estimated to contribute about 10 percent to the Icelandic GDP; the number of foreign visitors exceeded 2,000,000 for the first time in 2017; tourism is responsible for a share of nearly 30 percent of the country's export revenue.

Tourism is one of the leading sources of income, crucial to Egypt's economy. At its peak in 2010, the sector employed about 12% of workforce of Egypt, serving approximately 14.7 million visitors to Egypt, and providing revenues of nearly $12.5 billion as well as contributing more than 11% of GDP and 14.4% of foreign currency revenues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Morocco</span>

Tourism in Morocco is well developed, maintaining a strong tourist industry focused on the country's coast, culture, and history. The Moroccan government created a Ministry of Tourism in 1985. Tourism is considered one of the main foreign exchange sources in Morocco and since 2013 it had the highest number of arrivals out of the countries in Africa. In 2024, according to the Ministry of Tourism, a record annual total of 17.4 million tourists visited Morocco, up 20% compared to 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">History of Gibraltar</span>

The history of Gibraltar, a small peninsula on the southern Iberian coast near the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea, spans over 2,900 years. The peninsula has evolved from a place of reverence in ancient times into "one of the most densely fortified and fought-over places in Europe", as one historian has put it. Gibraltar's location has given it an outsized significance in the history of Europe and its fortified town, established in the Middle Ages, has hosted garrisons that sustained numerous sieges and battles over the centuries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in Nunavut</span>

Tourism in Nunavut focuses on outdoor activities and culture of the local Inuit, the indigenous people of Nunavut. Wildlife watching is a popular tourist attraction, as the territory is home to a number of wildlife and bird sanctuaries. It is possible to spot walrus, polar bears, a large variety of birds and belugas throughout Nunavut. Outdoor adventure activities are also popular. Nunavut has a wide and lengthy river system, meaning that there are a large number of canoeing and kayaking opportunities to suit experienced travellers. Nunavut's vast expanse of uninhabited territory offers many opportunities for hiking and camping. However, the region's often extreme conditions and remote location often necessitates a guide, even for experienced campers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar–Spain border</span> International border

The Gibraltar–Spain border is the international boundary between the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar and the Kingdom of Spain. It is also referred to as "The Fence of Gibraltar" or simply "The Fence".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Cruise Terminal</span>

The Gibraltar Cruise Terminal is located at the northern end of the Western Arm of the North Mole at Gibraltar Harbour. Construction of the facility in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar was completed in 1997. In the fifteen years since its opening, the terminal handled approximately three million cruise passengers. In May 2011, the explosion of a sullage tank on the Western Arm, while a cruise ship was berthed nearby, ultimately resulted in the loss of life of a dock worker. In October 2011, the Government of Gibraltar announced plans for expansion and renovation of the cruise terminal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gibraltar Nature Reserve</span> Protected nature reserve in Gibraltar

The Gibraltar Nature Reserve is a protected nature reserve in the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar that covers over 40% of the territory's land area. It was established as the Upper Rock Nature Reserve in 1993 under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's category Ia and was last extended in 2013. It is known for its semi-wild population of Barbary macaques, and is an important resting point for migrating birds.

The British Overseas Territories maintain their own entry requirements different from the visa policy of the United Kingdom. As a general rule, British citizens do not have automatic right of abode in these territories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands</span>

Tourism in the Turks and Caicos Islands is an industry that generates more than 1 million tourist arrivals per year, and is "the main source of revenue for the country. The tourism industry began in the 1980s, with the opening of Club Med Turquoise, the country's first main resort." "Tourism has benefited from the proximity to the United States and the stability via being a British Overseas Territory. The opening of a cruise port on Grand Turk in 2006 resulted in a significant increase in tourism arrivals to the country."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">International tourism</span> Travel for pleasure or business that crosses national borders

International tourism is tourism that crosses national borders. Globalisation has made tourism a popular global leisure activity. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes". The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that up to 500,000 people are in flight at any one time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Travel during the COVID-19 pandemic</span> Restrictions by countries intended to stop spread of disease

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many countries and territories imposed quarantines, entry bans, or other travel restrictions for citizens of or recent travelers to the most affected areas. Some countries and territories imposed global restrictions that apply to all foreign countries and territories, or prevented their own citizens from travelling overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism</span>

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the tourism industry due to the resulting travel restrictions as well as slump in demand among travelers. The tourism industry has been massively affected by the spread of coronavirus, as many countries have introduced travel restrictions in an attempt to contain its spread. The United Nations World Tourism Organization estimated that global international tourist arrivals could have decreased by 58% to 78% in 2020, leading to a potential loss of US $0.9–1.2 trillion in international tourism receipts.

References

  1. ↑ Archer, Edward G. (2006). Gibraltar, Identity And Empire. Routledge. p. 68. ISBN   9780415347969.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Boniface, Brian; Cooper, Chris; Cooper, Robyn (2012). Worldwide Destinations: The Geography of Travel and Tourism. Routledge. pp. 264–5. ISBN   9781136001130.
  3. ↑ "Abstract of Statistics 2011" (PDF). Government of Gibraltar. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Tourist Survey Report 2011" (PDF). Government of Gibraltar. Retrieved 29 November 2012.
  5. ↑ Aldrich, Robert; Connell, John (1998). The Last Colonies. Cambridge University Press. p. 83. ISBN   9780521414616.
  6. 1 2 Archer, p. 64
  7. 1 2 Gold, Peter (2012). Gibraltar: British or Spanish?. Routledge. p. 74. ISBN   9780415347952.
  8. 1 2 3 Gold, p. 68
  9. ↑ Gold, p. 87
  10. ↑ Gold, p. 35
  11. ↑ Gold, p. 347
  12. ↑ Inkson, Clare; Minnaert, Lynn (2012). Tourism Management: An Introduction. SAGE. p. 265. ISBN   9781848608696.
  13. ↑ Archer, p. 2
  14. ↑ Gold, p. 149
  15. ↑ Gold, p. 171
  16. ↑ Gold, p. 192
  17. ↑ Gold, p. 177
  18. ↑ Gold, p. 368
  19. ↑ Archer, p. 70
  20. ↑ "10 Most Disappointing Destinations in the World". Huffington Post. 14 April 2014. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  21. ↑ Griffin, Dan (17 April 2014). "Temple Bar listed among world's 10 most disappointing locations". Irish Times . Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  22. 1 2 Lück, Michael (2008). The Encyclopedia of Tourism and Recreation in Marine Environments. CABI. p. 188. ISBN   9781845933500.
  23. 1 2 Cooper, Chris (2008). Tourism: Principles and Practice. Pearson Education. p. 157. ISBN   9780273711261.
  24. ↑ Samans, James C. (2007). Spontaneous Tourism: The Busy Person's Guide to Travel. Spontaneous Tourism Portal. p. 326. ISBN   9780979189708.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.