<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>International tourism in Spain generated accumulated spending of more than 126 billion euros in 2024, 16.1% more than the previous year, and a total of 93.8 million visitors, 10.1% more than the historical record of 2023.</strong></h4> According to the data published this Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), the accumulated spending of international tourists between January and December amounted to 126,282 million euros, 16.1% more than in the same period of the previous year. In addition, the number of visitors increased by 10.1%, reaching 93.8 million tourists, a number that also exceeds the historical cumulative total for the twelve months of 2023, which was 85 million. In 2024, the main tourist issuing markets experienced growth compared to the previous year. Once again, the United Kingdom was the first country of origin, with 18.4 million and a 6.6% increase compared to the previous year. As for spending at the destination, citizens of the United Kingdom left more than 22.6 billion euros in Spain in 2024, 13.5% more than in 2023. In second place, France was the origin of 12.9 million tourists, with a growth of 10.3% over 2023 and an annual expenditure of 11.014 billion euros, 13.1% higher than the previous year. Germany, for its part, grew by 8.6% compared to 2023, reaching 11.9 million international tourists, who spent more than 15.5 billion euros in the twelve-month period, with a 17.6% year-on-year increase. Tourists from Asia experienced the greatest growth, with a cumulative variation rate of +14.2% compared to the previous year. For its part, the United States established itself as an important source market with 4.2 million tourists (11.2% more). <h5><strong>Catalonia leads the way in arrivals and spending</strong></h5> Regarding the preferred destination autonomous communities for international tourists, Catalonia is at the top with more than 19.9 million visitors, 9.7% more than in 2023. Next are the Balearic Islands - with 15.3 million tourists and a growth of 6.1% -, the Canary Islands (15.2 million and an increase of 9.1%), Andalusia (13.5 million, 11.5% more) and the Valencian Community, which is the community that grew the most year-on-year in 2024, 14%, to exceed 11.9 million. Madrid, for its part, received 8.8 million international tourists, which is 12.5% more than during the same period of the previous year. The rest of the communities together grew by 10.6% compared to last year. In terms of expenditure, the autonomous communities that concentrated the highest total expenditure in 2024 were Catalonia (with 23,745 million, 11.8% more than in 2023), the Canary Islands (with 22,887 million and an increase of 12.6%) and the Balearic Islands (with 20,052 million, 13.3% more than in 2023).
