The Diplomat
Spain beat the record number of international tourists last July with 10.1 million visitors, who spent around 13,853 million euros in the country, according to data published on Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Tourist arrivals in this month, the first big month of the year for this important sector in our country, exceeded by 11.4% the figure recorded in 2022 (9.1 million) and by 2.6% that recorded in July 2019, which was already a record year (9.87 million), reports Europa Press.
With this, in the first seven months of the year Spain accumulates a total of 47.6 million international tourists received, an increase of 20.9% over the same period last year, according to data released by the statistical institute. This represents an increase of 20.9% compared to the same period last year, according to data released by the statistics office.
The statistics on tourist movements at borders (Frontur) published on Friday is, however, 0.8% lower than that recorded in the same period of 2019, the year before the coronavirus pandemic.
For the acting Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Héctor Gómez, these “extraordinary figures”, which are also accompanied by high levels of spending, “show Spain’s potential as a quality, attractive and sustainable destination for the world”.
The Minister of Tourism also highlighted “the magnificent figures for tourist arrivals from the United States, “which have not only recovered, as we have been observing throughout the summer, but are already above the best pre-pandemic figures”.
United Kingdom, in the lead
The countries that sent most tourists to Spain in the first months of the year were the United Kingdom (with nearly 9.8 million tourists and an annual increase of 16.9%), France (more than 6.4 million and an increase of 20%) and Germany (with more than six million, up 9.6%).
Among the other countries of residence, the annual growth of tourists from the USA (28.9%), Portugal (18.5%) and Italy (17.8%) is particularly noteworthy.
By region, the Balearic Islands were the main destination for tourists in July, with 24.1% of the total. It was followed by Catalonia (22.9%) and Andalusia (13.3%).
2.4 million tourists arrived in the Balearic Islands, 7.2% more than in July 2022. The main countries of residence of tourists from this community are the United Kingdom (with 26.2% of the total) and Germany (25.1%).
In the rest of the Communities, the number of tourists increased by 18.4% in the Valencian Country, 6.1% in the Community of Madrid and 4% in the Canary Islands.
In the first seven months of 2023, the communities that received the most tourists were Catalonia (with more than 10.2 million and an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2022), the Balearic Islands (with more than 8.1 million and an increase of 9%) and the Canary Islands (with almost 7.9 million, up 16.3%).
Almost 60 billion in spending
The more than 47 million tourists who visited Spain up to last July spent almost 60,000 million euros (59,864 million euros) in our country, which represents an increase of 25.3% compared to the same period last year.
If this cumulative figure is compared with the data for 2019, before the pandemic, tourist spending is 14.7% higher, according to the statistics institute.
By country, spending by tourists residing in the United Kingdom increased by 9.8% in annual rate, those from France by 21.8% and those from Germany by 4.5%. In the first seven months of 2023, the United Kingdom is the country with the highest cumulative expenditure (18.2% of the total). It is followed by Germany (11.8%) and France (8.6%).
The INE’s tourism expenditure survey (Egatur) shows that total expenditure in July reached 13,853 million euros, an increase of 16.4% compared to the same month in 2022. This figure is 16% above that of the same month in 2019.
The average expenditure per tourist stood at 1,367 euros, with an annual increase of 4.4%. Meanwhile, the average daily expenditure grew by 9% to 185 euros, according to the INE.
The autonomous communities that accounted for most international tourist expenditure in July were the Balearic Islands (with 23.7% of the total), Catalonia (21.1%) and Andalusia (13.5%). Tourist expenditure increased by 16.7% in annual terms in the Balearic Islands, 12.7% in Catalonia and 26.2% in Andalusia.
In the first seven months of 2023 the main destination communities with the highest cumulative expenditure were Catalonia (with 19.3% of the total), the Canary Islands (19%) and the Balearic Islands (16.3%).
The main item of expenditure focused on transport, which accounted for 20.1% of total expenditure and an increase of 29.9% compared to the same month in 2022. The next items were accommodation and spending on activities, with 19.7% and 19.2% of the total, respectively. The former increased by 7.6% in annual rate and the latter by 19.9%.
