The Spanish Film Commission has announced a bold new initiative aimed at transforming iconic filming locations across Spain into innovative and sustainable tourism experiences. The project was developed under the “Experiencias” programme and supported by the ministries of the Tourism Bureau (Setur), the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, and is part of the Spanish Screen Grand Tour and the next generation funding benefits of the European Union.
In a presentation held at the ongoing San Sebastian International Film Festival, Juan Manuel Guimanas, president of the Spanish Film Commission, outlined the project’s goals and the work that has been carried out over the past few months. “We have created a clear and standardized framework that is recognized by both the tourism and audiovisual sectors that can be implemented across Spain,” he explained.
Guimeráns highlighted the important role of public-private collaboration in delivering such ambitious cross-sector projects. “Spain is one of the world’s leading tourism industries and home to the globally competitive audiovisual sector. Togethering these two forces was a natural step in redefineing how our audience experiences our country,” he added.
Pilot Programs in Diverse Regions
To develop and validate the methodology, four pilot programs are implemented at strategically selected locations, each representing a different type of destination.
Formentera (Balairic Islands) – Coastal Seville (Andalusia) – City Galicia – Country coastal Burgos (Castile and Leon) – Natural landscape
These pilots brought together local tourism experts, public institutions and players from the audiovisual industry to co-create screen tourism products inspired by famous film and television productions.
At Formentera, the program focused on Julio Medem’s “Sex and Lucía,” encouraging off-season trips, offering an immersive experience tied to the film’s story and scenery. In Burgos, the legendary film The Good, The Bad and the Ugly served as the foundation for a tourism experience centered around the cinema heritage in the region. Galicia painted from the popular Bamb produced television series “Farinha,” based on the book by journalist Nacho Carretro. Meanwhile, Seville explored unique opportunities to design tourism experiences for projects still in production, demonstrating the potential for pre-release engagement.
Iñaki Gaztelumendi, a screen tourism expert who leads the initiative, announced a new methodology during the event. All project materials and toolkits are available on the Spanish Film Commission website, allowing other regions to adopt and adapt the models.
Extensive collaboration across sectors and regions
The project was made possible through collaboration between numerous partners across the public and private sectors. The Spanish Film Commission worked closely with TBS (Tech Brands Stories), Telefónica’s creative production agency, communication consultant thinking head and tourism consulting firm Verne.
The institutional support emerged from a wide network of local and local stakeholders, including the Seville City Council’s official film bureaus, Burgos, Galesia, the Balearic Islands and the Seville Film & Events Film Committee.
Each workshop highlighted cross-sector participation and brought together technical experts, local governments, hospitality experts and cultural organisations to ensure a comprehensive, locally-based approach.
From viewers to heroes
A key moment during the event was a roundtable discussion entitled “From the viewer to the main character,” which explored the intersection of storytelling, placemaking and tourism through the lens of industry experts.
The panel featured Esperanza Ibáñez, director of public policy at Netflix in Spain and Portugal. Raúlizquierdo, TBS Director, Telefónica Group. Medem; Raquel Puente, coordinator of the Burgos Film Committee, and Carretero, author of “Fariña.”
“On Netflix, we see firsthand how stories are crossing boundaries. A single series can map previously unknown towns. Supporting projects like the “Experiencians” programme means believing culture as a powerful engine for local economic development,” Ibañez said.
Izquierdo, who oversaw the production of the project’s audiovisual material, emphasized the need to recognize these types of initiatives nationally and internationally. “It was important to go beyond traditional production models and create something that truly reflects the value of these experiences,” he noted.
