Editing Andalusia (section)

==Economy==
Andalusia is traditionally an agricultural area, but the [[service sector]] (particularly tourism, retail sales, and transportation) now predominates. The once booming construction sector, hit hard by the [[Great Recession|2009 recession]], was also important to the region's economy. The industrial sector is less developed than most other regions in Spain.

Between 2000 and 2006 economic growth per annum was 3.72%, one of the highest in the country. Still, according to the Spanish {{Lang|es|[[Instituto Nacional de Estadística (Spain)|Instituto Nacional de Estadística]]|italic=no}} (INE), the GDP per capita of Andalusia (€17,401; 2006) remains the second lowest in Spain, with only [[Extremadura]] lagging behind.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.diariodesevilla.es/article/economia/19254/la/renta/capita/andaluza/alcanza/los/euros/la/segunda/mas/baja/espana.html |title=La renta per cápita andaluza alcanza los 17.401 euros, la segunda más baja de España |newspaper=Diario de Sevilla |date=28 December 2007 |page=40 |access-date=4 April 2019 |language=es |publisher=[[Joly Digital]]}}</ref> The [[Gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the autonomous community was 160.6 billion euros in 2018, accounting for 13.4% of Spanish economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 20,500 euros or 68% of the EU27 average in the same year.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58 |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018 |website=Eurostat}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto; text-align:center;"
|-
|+ GDP, GDP per capita, number of people in the work force, percentage of the Andalusian work force by province<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/institutodeestadisticaycartografia/iea/visualizar.jsp?CodOper=832&codConsulta=-428978 |title=Explotación obtenida a partir de la tabla Contabilidad Provincial Anual de Andalucía |access-date=4 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180223050923/http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/institutodeestadisticaycartografia/iea/visualizar.jsp?CodOper=832&codConsulta=-428978 |archive-date=23 February 2018 |publisher=[[Junta de Andalucía]] |language=es |work=[[Instituto de Estadística y Cartografía de Andalucía]] |url-status=live}}</ref>
|-
! !! Andalusia !! [[Province of Almería|Almería]] !! [[Province of Cádiz|Cádiz]] !! [[Province of Córdoba (Spain)|Córdoba]] !! [[Province of Granada|Granada]] !! [[Province of Huelva|Huelva]] !! [[Province of Jaén (Spain)|Jaén]] !! [[Province of Málaga|Málaga]] !! [[Province of Seville|Seville]]
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| GDP (thousands of €) || 154,011,654|| 14,124,024|| 21,430,772|| 13,000,521|| 16,403,614|| 9,716,037|| 10,036,091|| 31,331,122|| 37,969,433
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| GDP per capita (€) || 18,360|| 20,054 || 17,284 || 16,422 || 17,919 || 18,699 || 15,481|| 19,229 || 19,574
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| Workers || 2,990,143|| 286,714|| 387,174 || 264,072|| 309,309|| 196,527 || 220,877|| 607,255|| 718,215
|-
|style="text-align:left;"| GDP (%) || 100 || 9.17 || 13.92 || 8.44 || 10.65 || 6.31 || 6.52 || 20.34 || 24.65
|}

===Primary sector===
The [[primary sector]], despite adding the least of the three sectors to the regional [[GDP]], remains important, especially when compared to typical developed economies. The primary sector produces 8.26 percent of regional GDP, 6.4 percent of its GVA and employs 8.19 percent of the workforce.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://ec.europa.eu/growth/tools-databases/regional-innovation-monitor/base-profile/andalusia-0 |title=Internal Market, Industry, Entrepreneurship and SMEs: Andalusia |last=European Commission |date=2018 |access-date=10 July 2019}}</ref><ref>IEA data for 2007</ref>{{better source needed|date=March 2018}}<!-- existing citation is very vague--> In monetary terms it could be considered a rather uncompetitive sector, given its level of productivity compared to other Spanish regions.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} In addition to its numeric importance relative to other regions, agriculture and other primary sector activities have strong roots in local culture and identity.

The primary sector is divided into a number of subsectors: [[agriculture]], [[commercial fishing]], [[animal husbandry]], [[hunting]], [[forestry]], [[mining]], and [[energy]].

====Agriculture, husbandry, hunting, and forestry====
[[File:Aceites DOP Andalucía.svg|thumb|325px|[[Protected Geographical Status|Denominations of origin]] of [[olive oil]] in Andalusia]]

For many centuries, agriculture dominated Andalusian society, and, with 44.3 percent of its territory cultivated and 8.4 percent of its workforce in agriculture as of 2016 it remains an integral part of Andalusia's economy.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.bioeconomiaandalucia.es/documents/1056091/1056684/IRA+Andalusia/d55a2a1a-98f3-419e-845a-d2ce5c88ea75?version=1.0#%5B%7B%22num%22%3A18%2C%22gen%22%3A0%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22XYZ%22%7D%2C70.9%2C740%2C0%5D |title=Andalusia as a model demonstrator region |last=CIRCE and CEFIC Consultants and Bioeconomía en Andalucía |date=September 2016 |access-date=10 July 2019 |archive-date=26 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200726015054/http://www.bioeconomiaandalucia.es/documents/1056091/1056684/IRA+Andalusia/d55a2a1a-98f3-419e-845a-d2ce5c88ea75?version=1.0#%5B%7B%22num%22%3A18%2C%22gen%22%3A0%7D%2C%7B%22name%22%3A%22XYZ%22%7D%2C70.9%2C740%2C0%5D |url-status=dead}}</ref><!-- citation is vague --> However, its importance is declining, like the primary and secondary sectors generally, as the service sector is increasingly taking over.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |url=https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/export/drupaljda/Macromagnitudes_maestra_abril_2015_INGLES_V02.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/export/drupaljda/Macromagnitudes_maestra_abril_2015_INGLES_V02.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=The Agricultural and Fisheries sector in Andalusia |last=Consejería de Agricultura, Pesca y Desarrollo RuralSecretaría General de Agricultura y Alimentación |date=April 2015 |access-date=10 July 2019}}</ref> The primary cultivation is dryland farming of [[cereal]]s and [[sunflower]]s without artificial [[irrigation]], especially in the vast countryside of the Guadalquivir valley and the high plains of Granada and Almería-with a considerably lesser and more geographically focused cultivation of [[barley]] and [[avena|oats]]. Using irrigation, [[maize]], [[cotton]] and [[rice]] are also grown on the banks of the Guadalquivir and [[Genil]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/web/Bloques_Tematicos/Publicaciones_Divulgacion_Y_Noticias/Documentos_Tecnicos/Recursos_naturales/PDFs/144_197.pdf |title=Recursos de la agricultura: Recursos naturales de Andalucía. |access-date=7 October 2008 |author=Consejería de Medio Ambiente |language=es}}</ref>
[[File:Olive orchards Córdoba.jpg|thumb|Olive orchards in province of Córdoba.]]
The most important tree crops are [[Olea europaea|olives]], especially in the Subbetic regions of the provinces of Córdoba and Jáen, where irrigated olive orchards constitute a large component of agricultural output.<ref>Junta de Andalucía, ''[http://www.portalbesana.es/documentos/documentacion/olivarandaluz/cap5.pdf Impacto de la ayuda a la producción sobre el olivar andaluz] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419045620/http://www.portalbesana.es/documentos/documentacion/olivarandaluz/cap5.pdf |date=19 April 2009 }}'', in ''[http://www.portalbesana.es/estaticas/servicios/documentacion/elolivarandaluz.html El Olivar Andaluz] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091212044331/http://www.portalbesana.es/estaticas/servicios/documentacion/elolivarandaluz.html |date=12 December 2009 }}'', Besana. Retrieved 9 October 2008.</ref> There are extensive [[vineyard]]s in various zones such as [[Jerez de la Frontera]] ([[sherry]]), [[Condado de Huelva]], [[Montilla-Moriles]] and [[Malaga (wine)|Málaga]]. Fruits—mainly [[citrus]] fruits—are grown near the banks of the Guadalquivir; [[almond]]s, which require far less water, are grown on the high plains of Granada and Almería.<ref>{{cite book |author=Naranjo, J. |chapter=Cultivos y aprovechamientos en Andalucía |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref>

In monetary terms, by far the most productive and competitive agriculture in Andalusia is the intensive forced cultivation of strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, and other fruits grown under hothouse conditions under clear plastic, often in sandy zones, on the coasts, in Almería and Huelva.<ref>{{cite book |author=García, A. |chapter=La agricultura litorial |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref>

[[File:Dehesa Boyal. Bollullos Par del Condado (Huelva).jpg|thumb|''Dehesa Boyal'' (meadow for grazing animals), [[Bollullos Par del Condado]], [[Huelva]].]]
[[File:Adra 1.jpg|thumb|The town of Adra is surrounded by [[greenhouses]].]]

[[Organic farming]] has recently undergone rapid expansion in Andalusia, mainly for export to European markets but with increasing demand developing in Spain.<ref>{{cite book |publisher=Empresa Pública Desarrollo Agrario y Pesquero, Consejería de Agricultura y Pesca, Junta de Andalucía. |title=II PLAN ANDALUZ DE AGRICULTURA ECOLÓGICA (2007–2013) |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal/www/portal/PDF_Directos/libro_plan_ae.pdf |access-date=18 October 2008 |language=es |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090824001100/http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/agriculturaypesca/portal/www/portal/PDF_Directos/libro_plan_ae.pdf |archive-date=24 August 2009}}</ref>

Andalusia has a long tradition of [[animal husbandry]] and [[livestock]] farming, but it is now restricted mainly to mountain meadows, where there is less pressure from other potential uses. Andalusians have a long and colourful history of [[dog breeding]] that can be observed throughout the region today. The raising of livestock now plays a semi-marginal role in the Andalusian economy, constituting only 15 percent of the primary sector, half the number for Spain taken as a whole.<ref>{{cite book |author=Silva, R. |chapter=Ganadería y sistemas ganaderos |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref>

"Extensive" raising of livestock grazes the animals on natural or cultivated [[pasture]]s, whereas "intensive" raising of livestock is based in [[fodder]] rather than pasture. Although the productivity is higher than with extensive techniques, the economics are quite different. While intensive techniques now dominate in Europe and even in other regions of Spain, most of Andalusia's [[cattle]], virtually all of its [[sheep]] and [[goat]]s, and a good portion of its [[pig]]s are raised by extensive farming in mountain pastures. This includes the [[Black Iberian pig]]s that are the source of ''[[Jamón ibérico]]''. Andalusia's native sheep and goats present a great economic opportunity in a Europe where animal products are generally in strong supply, but the sheep and goat meat, milk, and leather (and the products derived from these) are relatively scarce. [[Dog]]s are bred not just as companion animals, but also as herding animals used by goat and sheep herders.

Hunting remains relatively important in Andalusia, but has largely lost its character as a means of obtaining food.
It is now more of a leisure activity linked to the mountain areas and complementary to forestry and the raising of livestock.<ref name="gancaz">{{cite book |author=López, A. |chapter=La caza en Andalucía |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref> Dogs are frequently used as hunting companions to retrieve killed game.

The Andalusian [[forest]]s are important for their extent—50 percent of the territory of Andalusia—and for other less quantifiable environmental reasons, such as their value in preventing erosion, regulating the flow of water necessary for other flora and fauna. For these reasons, there is legislation in place to protect the Andalusian forests.<ref>{{cite book |author=Araque, E. |chapter=Los espacios forestales andaluces. |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref> The value of forest products as such constitutes only 2 percent of agricultural production. This comes mostly from cultivated species—[[eucalyptus]] in Huelva and [[Populus|poplar]] in Granada—as well as naturally occurring [[cork oak]] in the Sierra Morena.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/web/Bloques_Tematicos/Publicaciones_Divulgacion_Y_Noticias/Documentos_Tecnicos/Recursos_naturales/PDFs/249_276.pdf |title=Recursos forestales: Recursos naturales de Andalucía. |access-date=7 October 2008 |author=Consejería de Medio Ambiente |language=es}}</ref>

====Fishing====
[[File:Muelle pesquero de Algeciras 1.JPG|thumb|Fishing port of [[Algeciras]].]]

[[Commercial fishing|Fishing]] is a longstanding tradition on the Andalusian coasts. Fish and other seafood have long figured prominently in the local diet and in the local [[gastronomy|gastronomic]] culture: [[fried fish]] (''pescaito frito'' in local dialect), white [[prawn]]s, ''[[almadraba]]'' tuna, among others. The Andalusian fishing fleet is Spain's second largest, after [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], and Andalusia's 38 fishing ports are the most of any Spanish autonomous community.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/fi/oldsite/FCP/es/ESP/profile.htm |title=El Reino de España. Datos económicos generales – Abril 2007 |access-date=5 October 2008 |publisher=FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations) |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010042450/http://www.fao.org/fi/oldsite/FCP/es/ESP/profile.htm |archive-date=10 October 2008 |url-status=live}}</ref> Commercial fishing produces only 0.5 percent of the product of the regional primary sector by value, but there are areas where it has far greater importance. In the province of Huelva it constitutes 20 percent of the primary sector, and locally in [[Punta Umbría]] 70 percent of the work force is involved in commercial fishing.<ref>{{cite book |author=Suárez, J.L. |author2=Rodríguez, J.A. |chapter=La pesca en Andalucía |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref>

Failure to comply with fisheries laws regarding the use of trawling, urban [[pollution]] of the seacoast, destruction of habitats by coastal construction (for example, alteration of the mouths of rivers, construction of ports), and diminution of fisheries by [[overexploitation]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.consumer.es/web/es/medio_ambiente/2002/05/15/45840.php |title=Peligra la supervivencia de algunas plantas marinas en el litoral malagueño |access-date=18 October 2008 |date=15 May 2002 |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081203165558/http://www.consumer.es/web/es/medio_ambiente/2002/05/15/45840.php |archive-date=3 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref>
have created a permanent crisis in the Andalusian fisheries, justifying attempts to convert the fishing fleet. The decrease in fish stocks has led to the rise of [[aquaculture]], including [[fish farming]] both on the coasts and in the interior.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/web/Bloques_Tematicos/Publicaciones_Divulgacion_Y_Noticias/Documentos_Tecnicos/Recursos_naturales/PDFs/125_143.pdf |title=Recursos del mar: Recursos naturales de Andalucía. |access-date=7 October 2008 |author=Consejería de Medio Ambiente |language=es}}</ref>

====Mining====
[[File:Aznalcollar 1.jpg|thumb|Aznalcóllar mine.]]
Despite the general poor returns in recent years, [[mining]] retains a certain importance in Andalusia. Andalusia produces half of Spain's mining product by value. Of Andalusia's production, roughly half comes from the province of Huelva. Mining for precious metals at [[Minas de Riotinto]] in Huelva (''see [[Rio Tinto Group]]'') dates back to pre-Roman times; the mines were abandoned in the Middle Ages and rediscovered in 1556. Other mining activity is [[coal]] mining in the Guadiato valley in the province of Córdoba; various metals at [[Aznalcóllar]] in the province of Seville, and iron at [[Alquife]] in the province of Granada. In addition, limestone, clay, and other materials used in construction are well distributed throughout Andalusia.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.juntadeandalucia.es/medioambiente/web/Bloques_Tematicos/Publicaciones_Divulgacion_Y_Noticias/Documentos_Tecnicos/Recursos_naturales/PDFs/100_124.pdf |title=Energía y minerales: Recursos naturales de Andalucía. |access-date=7 October 2008 |author=Consejería de Medio Ambiente |language=es}}</ref>

===Secondary sector: industry===
The Andalusian industrial sector has always been relatively small. Nevertheless, in 2007, Andalusian industry earned 11.979 million euros and employed more than 290,000 workers. This represented 9.15 percent of regional GDP, far below the 15.08 the secondary sector represents in the economy of Spain as a whole.<ref>IEA: Contabilidad Regional de Andalucía{{full citation needed|date=September 2020}}</ref> By analyzing the different subsectors of the food industry Andalusian industry accounts for more than 16% of total production. In a comparison with the Spanish economy, this subsector is virtually the only food that has some weight in the national economy with 16.16%. Lies far behind the manufacturing sector of shipping materials just over 10% of the Spanish economy. Companies like Cruzcampo (Heineken Group), Puleva, Domecq, Santana Motors or Renault-Andalusia, are exponents of these two subsectors. Of note is the Andalusian aeronautical sector, which is second nationally only behind Madrid and represents approximately 21% of total turnover in terms of employment, highlighting companies like [[Airbus]], [[Airbus Military]], or the newly formed Aerospace Alestis. On the contrary it is symptomatic of how little weight the regional economy in such important sectors such as textiles or electronics at the national level.{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}}

Andalusian industry is also characterized by a specialization in industrial activities of transforming raw agricultural and mineral materials. This is largely done by small enterprises without the public or foreign investment more typical of a high level of industrialization.

===Tertiary sector: services===
[[File:Castillo de Sancti Petri.JPG|thumb|Castle of Sancti Petri, located in [[San Fernando, Cádiz]]. One of the largest components of the service sector is "sun and sand" tourism.]]

In recent decades the Andalusian tertiary (service) sector has grown greatly, and has come to constitute the majority of the regional economy, as is typical of contemporary economies in developed nations.<ref>{{cite book |author=Carabaca, I. |chapter=La terciarización de la economía andaluza |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref><ref name=":0" /> In 1975 the service sector produced 51.1 percent of local GDP and employed 40.8 percent of the work force. In 2007, this had risen to 67.9 percent of GDP and 66.42 percent of jobs. This process of "tertiarization" of the economy has followed a somewhat unusual course in Andalusia.<ref name=tertiarization>{{cite journal |author=Genaro, M.D. |author2=González, F.J. |title=La terciarización en Andalucía: evolución de la producción y el empleo |year=1997 |journal=Actas del I Congreso de Ciencia Regional de Andalucía: Andalucía en el umbral del siglo XX |url=http://www2.uca.es/escuela/emp_je/investigacion/congreso/mcc034.pdf |language=es |access-date=12 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100331090936/http://www2.uca.es/escuela/emp_je/investigacion/congreso/mcc034.pdf |archive-date=31 March 2010 |url-status=dead}}</ref> This growth occurred somewhat earlier than in most developed economies and occurred independently of the local industrial sector. There were two principal reasons that "[[tertiarization]]" followed a different course in Andalusia than elsewhere:

1. Andalusian capital found it impossible to compete in the industrial sector against more developed regions, and was obligated to invest in sectors that were easier to enter.

2. The absence of an industrial sector that could absorb displaced agricultural workers and artisans led to the proliferation of services with rather low productivity. This unequal development compared to other regions led to a hypertrophied and unproductive service sector, which has tended to reinforce underdevelopment, because it has not led to large accumulations of capital.<ref name=tertiarization /><ref>{{cite book |last=Delgado Cabeza |first=Manuel |title=Dependencia y marginación de la economía andaluza |year=1981 |publisher=Publicaciones del Monte de Piedad, Caja de Ahorros |location=Córdoba |isbn=84-7231-613-0 |language=es}}</ref>

====Tourism in Andalusia====
[[File:Arcos de la Frontera, desde el balcón de la Peña Nueva.jpg|thumb|[[Arcos de la Frontera]], province of Cádiz]]
[[File:Ronda La Ciudad2004.jpg|thumb|View of [[Ronda]]]]
[[File:Puerto Banús 3.jpg|thumb|350px|[[Puerto Banús]], [[Marbella]], Costa del Sol.]]
[[File:Sierra Nevada Laguna skilift 6.jpg|thumb|Sierra Nevada Ski Station]]
[[File:Fuente de los Leones di Baeza.jpg|thumb|Fuente de los Leones in [[Baeza, Spain|Baeza]], province of Jaén.]]
Due in part to the relatively mild winter and spring climate, the south of Spain is attractive to overseas visitors–especially tourists from Northern Europe. While inland areas such as [[Province of Jaén (Spain)|Jaén]], [[Córdoba (Spanish province)|Córdoba]] and the hill villages and towns remain relatively untouched by tourism, the coastal areas of Andalusia have heavy visitor traffic for much of the year.

Among the autonomous communities, Andalusia is second only to [[Catalonia]] in tourism, with nearly 30 million visitors every year. The principal tourist destinations in Andalusia are the [[Costa del Sol]] and (secondarily) the [[Sierra Nevada (Spain)|Sierra Nevada]]. As discussed [[#Climate|above]], Andalusia is one of the sunniest and warmest places in Europe, making it a center of "sun and sand" tourism,<ref>{{cite book |author=Fernández, A. |chapter=Actividades y espacios turísticos |title=Geografía de Andalucía (Coor. López Antonio) |year=2003 |publisher=Ariel Geografía |location=Barcelona |isbn=84-344-3476-8 |language=es}}</ref> but not only it. Around 70 percent of the lodging capacity and 75 percent of the nights booked in Andalusian hotels are in coastal municipalities. The largest number of tourists come in August—13.26 percent of the nights booked throughout the year—and the smallest number in December—5.36 percent.

On the west (Atlantic) coast are the [[Costa de la Luz]] (provinces of Huelva and Cádiz), and on the east (Mediterranean) coast, the [[Costa del Sol]] (provinces of Cádiz y Málaga), [[Costa Tropical]] (Granada and part of Almería) and the [[Costa de Almería]]. In 2004, the [[Blue Flag beach]] program of the non-profit [[Foundation for Environmental Education]] recognized 66 Andalusian beaches and 18 pleasure craft ports as being in a good state of conservation in terms of sustainability, accessibility, and quality.{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}} Nonetheless, the level of tourism on the Andalusian coasts has been high enough to have a significant environmental impact, and other organizations—such as the Spanish [[Ecologists in Action]] (''Ecologistas en Acción'') with their description of "Black Flag beaches"<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/spip.php?article11444 |title=Banderas negras 2008 en Andalucía |access-date=18 October 2008 |language=es |archive-date=26 July 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110726013504/http://www.ecologistasenaccion.org/spip.php?article11444 |url-status=dead}}</ref> or [[Greenpeace]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.20minutos.es/data/adj/2007/06/26/702.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www.20minutos.es/data/adj/2007/06/26/702.pdf |archive-date=9 October 2022 |url-status=live |title=Destrucción a toda costa |date=2 February 2007 |access-date=19 October 2008 |language=es}}</ref>—have expressed the opposite sentiment. Still, [[Hotel chains]] such as Fuerte Hotels have ensured that sustainability within the tourism industry is one of their highest priorities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.accessibletourism.org/?i=enat.en.news.1097 |title=Responsible Tourism in FITUR, Spain – European Network for Accessible Tourism}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.andalucia.com/travel/environmentally-sustainable-tourism.htm |title=Environmentally Sustainable Tourism in Andalucia |first=Brenda |last=Padilla |website=Andalucia.com |date=18 October 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://sustainabletourismworld.org/fuerte-hoteles-devotedly-focused-on-responsible-tourism/ Fuerte Hoteles, Devotedly Focused on Responsible Tourism – Sustainable Tourism World] {{webarchive| url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151028163648/http://sustainabletourismworld.org/fuerte-hoteles-devotedly-focused-on-responsible-tourism/ |date=28 October 2015 }}</ref>

Together with "sand and sun" tourism, there has also been a strong increase in nature tourism in the interior, as well as [[cultural tourism]], sport tourism, and conventions.{{Citation needed|date=November 2014}} One example of sport and nature tourism is the ski resort at [[Sierra Nevada National Park (Spain)|Sierra Nevada National Park]].

As for cultural tourism, there are hundreds of cultural tourist destinations: cathedrals, castles, forts, monasteries, and historic city centers and a wide variety of museums.

It can be highlighted that Spain has seven of its 42 cultural UNESCO [[World Heritage Site]]s in Andalucia:
* [[Alhambra]], Generalife and Albayzín, [[Granada]] (1984,1994)
* [[Antequera Dolmens Site]] (2016)
* 10th Century Caliphate City of [[Medina Azahara]] (2018)
* [[Seville Cathedral|Cathedral]], [[Alcázar of Seville|Alcázar]] and [[General Archive of the Indies|Archivo de Indias]] in [[Seville]] (1987)
* [[Historic centre of Córdoba]]  (1984,1994)
* Renaissance Monumental Ensembles of [[Úbeda]] and [[Baeza, Spain|Baeza]] (2003)
* [[Rock art of the Iberian Mediterranean Basin|Rock Art of the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula]] (1998)

Further, there are the ''[[Lugares colombinos]]'', significant places in the life of [[Christopher Columbus]]:<ref>Decreto 553/1967, de 2 de marzo, por el que se declara conjunto histórico artístico el sector denominado "Lugares Colombinos" en la provincia de Huelva. He was laid to rest in Seville Cathedral.  [http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/search.php?coleccion=gazeta&frases=no&sort_field%5B0%5D=fpu&sort_order%5B0%5D=desc&sort_field%5B1%5D=ref&sort_order%5B1%5D=asc&OK=Buscar&operador%5B0%5D=and&campo%5B0%5D=TIT&dato%5B0%5D=lugares+colombinos&operador%5B1%5D=and&campo%5B1%5D=ID_RNG&dato%5B1%5D=&operador%5B2%5D=and&campo%5B2%5D=DEM&dato%5B2%5D=&operador%5B3%5D=and&campo%5B3%5D=ID_GAZ&dato%5B3%5D=&operador%5B4%5D=and&campo%5B4%5D=TIT&dato%5B4%5D=&operador%5B5%5D=and&campo%5B5%5D=NBO&dato%5B5%5D=&operador%5B6%5D=and&campo%5B6%5D=FPU&dato%5B6%5D%5B0%5D=&dato%5B6%5D%5B1%5D=&operador%5B7%5D=and&campo%5B7%5D=FAP&dato%5B7%5D%5B0%5D=&dato%5B7%5D%5B1%5D=&page_hits=40&sort_field%5B0%5D=FPU&sort_order%5B0%5D=desc&sort_field%5B1%5D=ref&sort_order%5B1%5D=asc BOE nº 69 de 22 March 1967.] {{Webarchive| url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927225104/http://www.boe.es/g/es/bases_datos/search.php?coleccion=gazeta&frases=no&sort_field%5B0%5D=fpu&sort_order%5B0%5D=desc&sort_field%5B1%5D=ref&sort_order%5B1%5D=asc&OK=Buscar&operador%5B0%5D=and&campo%5B0%5D=TIT&dato%5B0%5D=lugares+colombinos&operador%5B1%5D=and&campo%5B1%5D=ID_RNG&dato%5B1%5D=&operador%5B2%5D=and&campo%5B2%5D=DEM&dato%5B2%5D=&operador%5B3%5D=and&campo%5B3%5D=ID_GAZ&dato%5B3%5D=&operador%5B4%5D=and&campo%5B4%5D=TIT&dato%5B4%5D=&operador%5B5%5D=and&campo%5B5%5D=NBO&dato%5B5%5D=&operador%5B6%5D=and&campo%5B6%5D=FPU&dato%5B6%5D%5B0%5D=&dato%5B6%5D%5B1%5D=&operador%5B7%5D=and&campo%5B7%5D=FAP&dato%5B7%5D%5B0%5D=&dato%5B7%5D%5B1%5D=&page_hits=40&sort_field%5B0%5D=FPU&sort_order%5B0%5D=desc&sort_field%5B1%5D=ref&sort_order%5B1%5D=asc |date=27 September 2007 }}</ref> [[Palos de la Frontera]], [[La Rábida Monastery]], and [[Moguer]]) in the province of Huelva. There are also archeological sites of great interest: the Roman city of [[Italica]], birthplace of [[Roman emperor|Emperor]] [[Trajan]] and (most likely) [[Hadrian]] or [[Baelo Claudia]] near Tarifa.

Andalusia was the birthplace of such great painters as [[Diego Velázquez|Velázquez]] and [[Bartolomé Esteban Murillo|Murillo]] (Seville) and, more recently, [[Pablo Picasso|Picasso]] (Málaga); Picasso is memorialized by his native city at the [[Museo Picasso Málaga]] and [[Fundación Picasso|Natal House Foundation]]; the [[Casa de Murillo]] was a [[house museum]] 1982–1998, but is now mostly offices for the Andalusian Council of Culture. The CAC Málaga (Museum of Modern Art) is the most visited museum of Andalusia<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.andalucia.com/history/people/pablo-picasso.htm |title=Pablo Picasso, Andalucia {{!}} Southern Spain |website=www.andalucia.com |date=12 February 2014 |language=en-GB |access-date=4 December 2017}}</ref> and has offered exhibitions of artists such as [[Louise Bourgeois]], [[Jake and Dinos Chapman]], [[Gerhard Richter]], [[Anish Kapoor]], [[Ron Mueck]] or [[Rodney Graham]]. Malaga is also located part of the private [[Carmen Cervera|Carmen Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection]] at [[Carmen Thyssen Museum]].

There are numerous other significant museums around the region, both of paintings and of archeological artifacts such as gold jewelry, pottery and other ceramics, and other works that demonstrate the region's artisanal traditions.

The Council of Government has designated the following "Municipios Turísticos": in Almería, [[Roquetas de Mar]]; in Cádiz, [[Chiclana de la Frontera]], [[Chipiona]], [[Conil de la Frontera]], [[Grazalema]], [[Rota, Andalusia|Rota]], and [[Tarifa]]; in Granada, [[Almuñécar]]; in Huelva, [[Aracena]]; in Jaén, [[Cazorla, Andalusia|Cazorla]]; in Málaga, [[Benalmádena]], [[Fuengirola]], [[Nerja]], [[Rincón de la Victoria]], [[Ronda]], and [[Torremolinos]]; in Seville, [[Santiponce]].

=====Monuments and features=====
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
* [[Alcazaba of Almería|Alcazaba]], [[Almería]]
* [[Cueva de Menga]], [[Antequera|Antequera (Málaga)]]
* [[El Torcal]], [[Antequera|Antequera (Málaga)]]
* [[Medina Azahara]], [[Córdoba, Andalusia|Córdoba]]
* [[Cathedral–Mosque of Córdoba|Mosque–Cathedral]], [[Córdoba, Andalusia|Córdoba]]
* [[Frigiliana|Mudejar Quarter, Frigiliana (Málaga)]]
* [[Alhambra]], [[Granada]]
* [[Palace of Charles V]], [[Granada]]
* [[Granada Charterhouse|Charterhouse]], [[Granada]]
* [[Albayzín]], [[Granada]]
* [[La Rabida Monastery]], [[Palos de la Frontera]] ([[Province of Huelva|Huelva]])
* [[Castle of Santa Catalina (Jaén)|Castle of Santa Catalina]], [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]]
* [[Jaén Cathedral]], [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]]
* [[Úbeda]] and [[Baeza, Spain|Baeza]], [[Jaén, Spain|Jaén]]
* [[Alcazaba (Málaga)|Alcazaba]], [[Málaga]]
* [[Buenavista Palace (Málaga)|Buenavista Palace]], [[Málaga]]
* [[Málaga Cathedral]], [[Málaga]]
* [[Puente Nuevo]], [[Ronda|Ronda (Málaga)]]
* [[Caves of Nerja]], [[Nerja|Nerja (Málaga)]]
* [[Plaza de Toros de Ronda|Ronda Bullring]], [[Ronda|Ronda (Málaga)]]
* [[Giralda]], [[Seville]]
* [[Torre del Oro]], [[Seville]]
* [[Plaza de España (Seville)|Plaza de España]], [[Seville]]
* [[Seville Cathedral]], [[Seville]]
* [[Alcázar of Seville]], [[Seville]]
* [[Almonaster la Real Mosque]], [[Almonaster la Real]] ([[Province of Huelva|Huelva]])
{{div col end}}

=== Unemployment ===
The unemployment rate was 16.1% in the first quarter of 2025, the lowest in 17 years.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.juntadeandalucia.es/organismos/empleoempresaytrabajoautonomo/servicios/actualidad/noticias/detalle/583048.html#:~:text=Con%20respecto%20al%20último%20trimestre,similares%20a%20los%20de%202008.|title=Andalucía cerró 2024 con 74.800 parados menos y récord histórico de ocupados, más de 3,48 millones|website=juntadeandalucia.es |access-date=19 May 2025|date=28 January 2025|language=es}}</ref> Although it has been declining sharply, Andalusian unemployment rate remains as one of the highest among the Spanish autonomous communities.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ine.es/infografias/tasasepa/desktop/tasas.html?t=0&lang=es|title=Tasa de paro por CCAA|website=ine.es|accessdate=19 May 2025|language=es}}</ref>