Fotografía para la promoción turística el archivo fotográfico de Turespaña

Abstract

Photography is a fundamental means of communication used in the administration since its creation in 19th century as a means of work and propaganda. Its function as an attraction element for tourists played a key role in the appearance of the administration’s picture archives. The photographic archive of tourism in Spain is conditioned by the evolution of the tourism administration and the changes of ministerial affiliation, which means that the collection is dispersed mainly between the General Archive of the Administration (photographs up to the 60s of the 20th century) and the Photographic Archive of Tourspain (with photographs mainly since the 1960s), managed since 2013 in the Spanish Tourist Documentation Centre. The Photographic Archive has a geographical structure, in alphabetical order of province, and a second thematic división. It has been used for internal and international promotion, for the publication of tourist leaflets, posters, books, magazines, etc. The images have always been property of the Ministry, and the collection has increased with the work of the photographers of the Official Photography Service and with the collaboration of great professionals of photography. Currently, preservation and conservation criteria and tasks are applied to the Archive to slow down or prevent deterioration. The Archive is fully digitized, but its complete cataloging is pending, once finished it will allow to increase its visibility and preserve the history of each image.