In a survey of Europe, the Financial Times Commercial Edition had this to say about Spain as a tourist centre :
"Spain's development as a low-price centre for mass holiday making has been rapid. In 1959 it attracted 2.8m. visitors for stays of longer than 24 hours; by last year the figure was approaching 8m, Taking all tourists into account - including the day-trippers and those who come ashore from ships on their way to other places - Spain last year took about llm.; this year 17m, are expected and the 1967 target is 17m.
This expansion has proved crucial in keeping the Spanish economy viable recently in international terms. Tourist income has acted as an expanding bridge over an expanding deficit on visible overseas trade. In 1959 tourism contributed 159m. towards closing a $244m. trade gap; by last year the gap had reached £937 but tourism earned over g700m. - only about 10 per cent.less than the complete total of Spanish exports. It has been well worth-while for the Spanish Government to finance up to 40 per cent. of hotel cmstruction and to give large grants for the development of the infrastructure for tourist centres - roads, water supplies and drainagesecceces
Spain's successes have also provided an example that Portugal obviously means to follow, At present its tourist income is one of the smallest in Europe but its advantages of low board and lodging prices, cheap rail fares, and of being largely "undiscovered" by foreigners have yet to be exploited, The Bank of Portugal has underlined the “extremely important part" that the tourist industry could in the long run play in the national ceonomy and some ambitious schemes are now in the pipeline." ( Our emphasis.
Thus we see the importance of the idea of a tourist boycott of Spain as called for by several anti-Franco organisations.