Spanish culture and cuisine convince American tourists with high satisfaction ratings | News
Cultural and gastronomic experiences lead demand among American travelers, according to the Mapping Activity and Experiences Supply and Demand in Spain* report, which also highlights the high level of satisfaction expressed by these tourists with the leisure activities they enjoy during their visits to Spanish destinations.
The study, prepared by Mabrian, the global travel information and tourism consultancy partner, analyzes the supply of tourism activities and experiences in Spain and the interests of demand for these types of products, using data from Civitatis and GetYourGuide, the main online experience sites. The analysis looked at the domestic market as well as five key international markets: the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, France and the United States.
“American travelers, who typically take longer trips and visit multiple destinations, are crucial to the experience market in Spanish destinations,” said Carlos Cendra, partner and marketing and communications director at Mabrian. “Understanding their preferences and expectations will help develop a more attractive and rewarding offering for this strategic source market, ultimately increasing spending in a travel area that directly impacts the destinations’ local economies.”
From a traveler profile perspective, the structure of U.S. demand for activities and experiences is broadly consistent with the national average. The main segments of American travelers booking activities and excursions while visiting Spain are families (35.1% of the total), slightly more than couples (34%).
Groups represent 16.1% of demand, and individual travelers account for 14.8%, almost five percentage points above the national average. This trend opens up opportunities for specialization, allowing destinations to “design more specific and personalized experiences for these types of tourists,” Cendra adds.
Wellness activities: a highly valued niche for American travelers
The report shows that when choosing activities or plans in Spain, Americans prioritize activities or plans that allow them to discover, enjoy and explore Spain’s cultural offerings. In fact, six in 10 experiences booked by American tourists in Spain are culture-focused – a higher percentage than in other traditional markets such as Germany, Britain or France.
After nature-based activities (18.1% of total demand), gastronomic experiences (11.4%) are among American travelers’ favorites, especially those related to dining and wine. Furthermore, American visitors engaged in culinary activities rate it highly, above other major international markets of European origin.
The excellent ratings American visitors give to Spain’s experience offerings are another notable finding of the survey: their satisfaction level (9.5 out of 10) exceeds the overall average for all activities and experiences in the country (9.3). The most satisfying experiences for Americans are gastronomic and wellness activities (9.7), followed by sunbathing, active tourism and cultural activities (9.4), and family-friendly plans (9.3).
Wellbeing activities in particular – although still representing a marginal offering and a niche segment among US tourists – achieve very high satisfaction scores (9.7 out of 10). “Travelers seeking wellness experiences are a particularly interesting segment as they generally have higher purchasing power and choose more diverse and generally longer routes, which, for example, presents an opportunity for inland tourism,” notes the Mabrian expert, part of The Data Appeal Company-Almawave Group.
* Mapping activities and experiences, supply and demand in Spain is the first study to provide a comprehensive analysis of the online market for tourism activities in Spain. For this report (free to download), Mabrian examined supply and demand trends for experiences marketed through major online activity platforms (Civitatis and GetYourGuide) in Spain’s 17 autonomous communities, using data from June, July and August 2025.
