It is located in southeast Spain in the south of the Region of Valencia. The province is designated with the Costa Blanca tourist brand. It has a typical Mediterranean landscape with beaches interspersed with mountainous terrain.

The province hosts as many as six festivals declared to be of International Tourist Interest: the bonfires of San Juan on midsummer night in Alicante; the International Habaneras and Polyphony Competition in Torrevieja; the Moors and Christians festival in Villajoyosa and Alcoy; and the Elche Mystery Plays and the Palm Sunday Procession in the city of Elche. The town of Elche is also the site of the Palmeral de Elche palm grove, awarded the World Heritage designation by the UNESCO.

There are numerous archaeological sites in Alicante, many of which belong to the Mediterranean Basin on the Iberian Peninsula, also declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.