High Value Starts at Home

On World Tourism Day, I wanted to go local this time and talk about a paradox I see in Seville’s tourism strategy.

We say we want to attract high-value tourism. Five-star hotels open, fine dining restaurants pop up and the city is full of Mercedes vans. But when it comes to tours and experiences, Seville has a tendency to sell itself at low prices.

A quick search on any online travel agency (Viator, GetYourGuide...) shows countless tours combining the Alcazar and Cathedral at prices that barely cover tickets, guide and distribution -and, in most cases, with only a minimum 20, if not more.

But if we are serious about excellence -and about managing tourism impact- we need to create the conditions that make quality and a better experience for both visitors and locals possible. 

This doesn’t mean we need to raise all prices for the sake of it, or simply because foreign visitors may be willing to pay them. But this might mean designing experiences for smaller groups and pricing them accordingly. It might mean that food tours count on enough budget to serve that oloroso VORS the client is curious about, rather than choosing every inclusion based on its cost. It means creating experiences with greater depth, better access and more room for genuine connection. And making sure local businesses receive a meaningful share of that wealth tourism generates.

If Seville wants high value tourism it is urgent that we, locals, stop treating our culture and landmarks as a low cost commodity. 

Seville doesn’t need to be made valuable by adding “luxury” everywhere. It is already valuable the way it is. But we need to design, price and distribute our experiences with this in mind and be confident of that value ourselves.

Ea.