Origin and consolidation of the hotel sector in the capital of Spanish tourism: San Sebastián between 1868 and 1914

Abstract

ABSTRACT The objective of this article is to study the origin and consolidation of the hotel industry in the city of San Sebastián, the tourism capital of Spain between the last third of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century. During these years, modern tourism was born and a Spanish tourism system took shape. Thanks to the presence of the royal family and the so-called elite tourism, San Sebastián played a decisive role in the Spanish tourism panorama. Specifically, the evolution of the tourism industry is studied alongside the evolution of the tourism development experienced in this period. Therefore the evolution of the demand (number of visitors) and of the supply (number of establishments) are both contemplated.