Spain is not keen on maintaining its image as a tourist destination which offers sun, sea and sangria. In a quest to be known as the place which has mush more things to offer, Spain is trying to shed the tag of "holiday-in-the-sun."

To fulfill that aspiration, Spain is projecting its unexplored area. It is showcasing the fact that Spain has much more than overcrowded beaches in the concrete jungles. Moreover, it is also projecting its gastronomic traditions to get itself on the tourist map. All these measures are taken to lure the upper end of market. There are numerous little known Spanish destinations yet to be discovered. Some of them are the Rioja region, Guggenheim Museum in the Basque city of Bilbao and a few UNESCO World Heritage site.

The factor which initiated such a move to rejuvenate Spain is the sudden drop in the number of tourists.  That actually resulted Spain to slip from the position of second most visited country. Last year, US captured the spot though the number of tourists to Spain is still a lot. Moreover, there is so many hue and cries after Spain slipped from the second spot because tourism contributes 11 percent of the job opportunity in Spain. Apart from the monotonous packages, there is another factor that dragged Spain's position. The factor is tough competition from Turkey, Croatia and Tunisia.

As number of tourists is significantly on the decline in Spain, the government has pulled up its socks to give a much needed impetus to the industry. The effort is already yielding result as the luxury hotels of Spain are already experiencing a rise of 2% stays.  Miguel Martinez, President of the Paradores association, has described it as the light at the end of the tunnel.