MADRID – The famous Spanish Parador hotels are owned by the state. No fewer than 98 hotels are located in historical heritage. These are often monumental buildings such as monasteries and castles and the majority are located in beautiful locations.
Because of the importance of this national historical heritage, the government is now investing 81 million euros in the improvement of 39 of the 98 buildings in total. The budget goes to the rehabilitation, maintenance and beautification of these properties. The money comes from the recovery plan, financed with Next Generation EU funds.
See also: Parador-hotels in Spain: top locations to visit
The Secretary of State for Tourism, Fernando Valdés, pointed out that “Spain has an immense historical heritage within the network of Paradores de Turismo. The public can visit the monuments even if they don´t stay in the hotel. They can drink or eat something in restaurants. Here, the emphasis is always on regional specialities.
The government is committed to this important historical heritage with a historical investment for its improvement and maintenance. This investment ultimately benefits the tourists and the inhabitants of the places where the relevant Parador Hotels are located.
Cultural tourism in Spain increased
For Valdés, the Spanish Paradores are “a magnet for attracting tourists”, because of their historical and artistic value. The Secretary of State also points out that cultural tourism in Spain increased by 16% between 2016 and 2019. The number of travellers visiting museums, monuments, churches and cities during their stay has also increased by 3.5%. That, according to Valdés, makes investing in heritage “to enhance the tourist appeal of Spain and its wealth of destinations” worthwhile.
The budget
74.2% of the invested budget goes to the preservation of facades, walls, and churches. Furthermore, specialists will renovate elements such as sculptures or capitals. Another 17% will be used to improve the lighting of the monuments. 5.9% is invested in landscape projects. The rest (2.9%) will go to the care of plaster and frescoes.
Turespaña, owner of the properties, will be the body responsible for managing this heritage conservation program for the Parador network.
The planned actions concern 39 properties spread over 12 Autonomous Communities. Among these are Andalusia, Aragon, Asturias, Castilla la Mancha, Castilla y León, Catalonia, Madrid, Extremadura, Galicia, Murcia, Navarra, Basque Country and the Autonomous City of Ceuta.
