In Spain, Better Living Through Tourism (TRAVEL)
Spain's tourism boom traces its roots to the rebuilding of the country after the dictator Francisco Franco -- the man most responsible for the "economic backwardness of Spain and the poverty of its people" that Frommer observed -- fell from power in 1975. But the Barcelona Olympics are widely credited with being Spain's big coming-out party, the catalyst that launched the country into the upper echelons of tourist destinations.