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The Costa Dorada is Spain's "Gold Coast" extending from the city of Barcelona to south of Tarragona in the region of Catalonia. It boasts the dual attractions of seemingly endless miles of golden sandy beaches and the Port Aventura theme park, a Disney style entertainment centre which is the main magnet for many international holidaymakers. This stretch of the coastline has long been popular with Spanish tourists, anxious to escape the stifling summer heat of Madrid and the traffic chaos and congestion of Barcelona. But it only developed as a major international tourist destination after the opening of Port Aventura in 1995.

There are three main tourist centres on the Costa Dorada (Costa Daurada in Catalan) - Salou, La Pineda and Cambrils, all of which are clustered together (unsurprisingly) on the section of coastline nearest to the Universal Studios theme park at Vila-seca. The nearest international airport is just 15 minutes drive inland at Reus which handles regular charter flights from London. International tourists also use schedule services to Barcelona, an hour's drive northeast along the coast.