The Diplomat
The number of international tourists arriving in Spain reached its highest figure in the first seven months of 2024, reaching 53.4 million, an increase of 12% over the previous year, according to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE). Spending by these tourists also grew by almost 20% up to July, reaching 71.1 billion euros.
The summer has brought new record numbers of tourists to Spain, as expected. Our country received last July a total of 10.9 million international tourists, 7.3% more than in the same month of 2023.
The United Kingdom was the country that sent the most visitors to Spain, reaching the figure of over 2 million, 2.6% more than in July of the previous year. From France came 1.6 million (up 3.4%) and from Germany 1.2 million (up 6.6%).
So far this year, the main countries of origin have been the United Kingdom (with more than 10.5 million and an increase of 8.6%), France (with almost 7.1 million and an increase of 10.6%) and Germany (with more than 6.8 million, an increase of 10.1%).
Tourists who visited Spain last July mainly chose the Balearic Islands for their holidays, with 23.4% of the total. They were followed by Catalonia (22.1%) and the Valencian Community (13.6%).
High spending
This record level of tourist arrivals has also led to a very high level of expenditure. The total expenditure recorded by the INE of international tourists who visited Spain in the first summer month reached 15,535 million euros, which represents an increase of 11.9% compared to the same month in 2023.
The average expenditure per tourist was 1,432 euros, with an annual increase of 4.3%. Average daily expenditure grew by 2.1% to 195 euros.
The main countries of origin in terms of the level of spending in July were the United Kingdom (with 18.3% of the total), Germany (10.8%) and France (9.6%).
For the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, ‘the significant increase in spending by international travellers visiting our country confirms that tourism, thanks to the efforts and work of everyone, continues to drive the country’s economy, generating wealth and employment in the sector’.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
