It is the cold afternoon in the middle of the winter in Sigovia, in central Spain, and tourists are gathered at the foot of the Romanian channel in the city, and they stare in its famous arches and take selfies.

Many visitors are Spanish, but there are also people from other European countries, Asians and Latin America, all of which draw it by the historical magic of Segovia, unification of cooking and its dramatic location outside the mountains north of Madrid.

“There was a moment during Covid when I thought,” maybe tourism will never be, as it was before, “says Elina Mirun, a local guide wearing a fosha -fushable hat, who was about to drive a group throughout the city.

“But things are now very good and I feel this year will be a good year, like 2023 and 2024. I’m happy, because I can live this job that I love.”

Spain has a record number 94 million visitors in 2024, and it is now competing with France, which witnessed 100 million, the largest foreign tourist center in the world.

The expansion of the postpartum tourism industry is a major reason for the fourth largest economy in the eurozone with a superiority over the likes of Germany, France, Italy and the United Kingdom, which spread an increase in GDP From 3.2 % last year.

In contrast, the German economy 0.2 % contract In 2024, while France Denses by 1.1 %, Italy 0.5 %, And the United Kingdom by Expect 0.9 %.

All this helps to explain the reason for the classification of the Economy Magazine in Spain as the world The best performance economy.

“The Spanish model is successful because it is a balanced model, and this guarantees the sustainability of growth,” says Carlos Quirbo, Minister of Business in the Socialist Coalition Government. It indicates that Spain was responsible for 40 % of the growth of the eurozone last year.

Although he stressed the importance of tourism, Mr. Cuerpo also referred to financial services, technology and investment as factors that helped Spain to apostasy from the depths of the epidemic, when GDP reduces 11 % in one year.

He adds: “We get out of Kofid without scars and by updating our economy and thus raising the growth of the potential gross domestic product.”

This update is assisted by the recovery boxes after birth from the upcoming generation program in the European Union. Spain is scheduled to receive up to 163 billion euros by 2026 ($ 169 billion; 136 billion pounds), making it the largest recipient of this money alongside Italy.

Spain invest in the national railway system, low emissions in cities and cities, as well as in the electric car industry and support for small companies.

“Public spending was high, and he is responsible for nearly half of our growth since the epidemic,” says Maria Jesus Valdorus, a lecturer in the economy of the IEESE College in Spain.

Other major European economies have seen their growth through their greater adoption by Spain in the industry, which, says, “suffer a lot at the present time due to factors such as high energy cost, competition from China and other Asian countries, the cost of moving to a more sustainable and load environmental model commerce “.

Since Covid, the other main economic challenge of Spain has been the living crisis that caused the convergence of the Russian supply chain and invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Inflation reached its climax at an annual rate of 11 % in July of that year, with energy prices reaching the Spanish in particular, but by solutions The end of 2024 had it It declined to 2.8 %.

Madrid believes that the benefits I provided to reduce the cost of fuel consumption and encourage public transportation was essential in alleviating the effect of high energy prices, in addition to several increases to the minimum wage.

At the height of the European Energy Crisis, Spain and Portugal also negotiated with Brussels as the so -called “Ibiri Exception”, allowing them to the amount of gas used to generate electricity in order to reduce consumer bills.

Mr. Cuerpo argues that such measures have helped face the weakness of the traditional Spain of economic turmoil.

“Spain has proven to be more flexible in successive shocks – including the shock of inflation that came with the war in Ukraine,” said Spain. “I think this is part of the general protective shield that we set for our consumers and our companies.”

The production of green energy in the country is seen as another favorable factor, not only in ensuring electricity, but also stimulates investment. Spain has The second is the second Infrastructure for renewable energy in the European Union.

The latter is a blessing of a country that represents the second largest car producer in Europe, according to Lynn Griffiths, CEO of SEAT and CUPRA. Although the production of Spanish electric vehicles is behind the rest of Europe, it sees huge potential in this field.

“[In Spain] We have all the factors you need to be successful: people who are well trained and also the energy policy behind it, “says:” There is no benefit to making yellow emissions if you use dirty energy. “

Despite these positives, Spain’s weak economy has long been chronic, the largest in the European Union and almost double the average mass. However, the situation improved in the last quarter of 2024, when the unemployed unemployment rate decreased to 10.6 %, The lowest level since 2008.

Meanwhile, the number of people working in Spain is now 22 million, which is a record number. Work reform, which encourages job stability, is seen as a major cause of this.

This reform has increased the restrictions imposed on the use of temporary contracts by companies, preferably more flexibility in the use of permanent contracts. He reduced the number of workers in temporary workers without hindering job creation.

Also, although the arrival of migrants has pushed a fierce political debate, their absorption in the labor market is Many see it as decisive For a country with the aging of the population quickly.

The Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, was explicit in emphasizing the need for immigrants, describing their contribution to the economy as “essential”.

The European Commission expected that Spain will continue to lead the growth between the economies of the large bloc this year and remain ahead of the average European Union. However, the challenges wave on the horizon.

Severe dependence on tourism – and The increasing reaction Against industry by the local population – is one of the source of concern.

Another is the vast public debt of Spain, which higher From the annual economic product in the country.

María Jesús Valdemoros warns that this “an imbalance that we need to correct, not only because the new financial standards of the European Union require this, but because it may cause financial instability.”

In addition, the housing crisis erupted throughout the country, leaving millions of Spaniards struggling to find accommodations at reasonable prices.

With a very uncertain and attractive political scene, it is difficult for the Sanchez minority government to address such problems. But while trying to solve these languages, Spain has its position as an engine for European growth.