Tourism is an activity in the process of expansion, and a growth in tourism flows is seen as something beneficial that justifies public and private investment. The role as an economic growth pole that has been ascribed to tourism [Williams and Shaw (1991)] justifies interest in measuring its effect on economic activity. This paper outlines a method of estimating tourism’s macroeconomic contribution. By combining input-output tables and the tourism satellite account, an analytical tool is achieved that might not have the flexibility of computable general equilibrium models but nonetheless provides a well-specified model and clear information on which political decision-makers and business entrepreneurs can base their decisions. In Spain, tourism consumption’s total macroeconomic impact generates about 11.3% of the total output and 10.9% of employment, with the contribution of foreign tourism accounting for about half the total effect. Additionally, tourism has a notably positive effect on the foreign trade balance although very often this benefit is over-estimated by overlooking the imports needed to meet the tourism demand, both directly and indirectly, and induced imports originated by the earnings generated by tourism. The methodology that has been described offers something more than a mere method of quantifying the contribution of tourism to aggregate economic activity. One particularly interesting outcome of this analysis is a breakdown of the contribution of each individual branch of activity. Some agents, like hoteliers, see themselves as playing an essential role in tourism. Others, like doctors, teachers or building labourers, do not. However, in the sense that part of their work is aimed at directly or indirectly meeting the needs of tourism, they are part of the tourist industry. Understanding this reality can contribute toward a positive view of tourism by residents and, by extension, influence their support for policies aimed at promoting tourism.