The Diplomat
The COVID-19 pandemic has put the brakes on a seven-year streak of tourism growth in Spain, where the number of international travelers has fallen to figures unseen since the tourism boom of the 1960s.
According to the latest data from the Statistics of Tourist Movements at Borders (FRONTUR), published yesterday by the National Institute of Statistics, just 19 million tourists entered Spain last year, down 77.3% (64.5 million) from 83.5 million in 2019, when a record figure was reached and expected to be surpassed in 2020. These data, the worst since 1969, come after seven consecutive years of record figures for both the number of visitors and the expenditure made by tourists.
The main countries of residence of tourists visiting Spain in 2020 were France, the United Kingdom and Germany. The arrival of tourists residing in France fell by 65.2%, that of tourists from the United Kingdom by 82.4%, and that of German tourists by 78.4%.
In line with these data, spending by foreign tourists in Spain fell by 78.5% in 2020 to just €19.74 billion, €72.538 billion less than the €91.912 billion in 2019. The country that spent the most in 2020 in Spain was the United Kingdom, with 3,141 million euros, 82.4% less than in 2019. It was followed by Germany (with 2,632 million and a decrease of 77.5%) and France (with 2,413 million, down 68.2%).
These huge declines have not been exclusive to Spain, although they have especially affected our country due to the high weight of tourism in the national GDP. According to the latest data from the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), world tourism recorded its worst year ever in 2020, with a 74% drop in international arrivals. Destinations around the world received one billion fewer international arrivals last year than in 2019 due to an unprecedented slump in demand and widespread travel restrictions generated by the pandemic. By comparison, the decline recorded during the 2009 global economic crisis was 4%.
