<h6><strong>The Diplomat</strong></h6> <h4><strong>Around 97 million international tourists visited Spain in 2025, 3.5 percent more than the previous year, and spent €134.71 billion, 6.8 percent more than in 2024, according to data from the tourism report for the past year, presented this Thursday by the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu.</strong></h4> “We are growing in the way and at the pace we believe is desirable for the triple bottom line model of economic, social, and environmental sustainability,” the minister declared at a press conference held at the Ministry headquarters, where he was accompanied by the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez Grau, the Director General of Turespaña, Miguel Sanz, and the Director General of Tourism Policies, Ana Muñoz Llabrés. “A model of steady growth is taking shape, where qualitative elements are becoming increasingly important compared to quantitative aspects,” he emphasized. “We are laying the foundations for the sustainability of tourism in Spain in the coming years,” he affirmed. By source market, the United States and the rest of the Americas are well above average in both arrivals and, especially, spending. Europe continues to contribute a significant volume of visitors, although with below-average spending. In all source markets, spending is growing at a much faster rate than arrivals. Furthermore, Hereu provided details about Spain's participation in the 46th edition of the International Tourism Fair, FITUR, which will begin at IFEMA on Wednesday, January 21st for professionals, and on Saturday the 24th for the general public. This year, the fair will feature more than 9,500 participating companies, 156 countries, and over 150,000 professionals. As in previous editions, there will be specialized areas such as Fitur Woman, Fitur Tech, and Fitur LGBT+. In addition, more than a thousand business meetings are scheduled to take place during FITUR week. In this edition, Turespaña (the public body under the Ministry of Industry and Tourism that promotes Spain abroad) will have a 600-square-meter stand in Hall 9. <h5><strong>Shaikha Al Nowais</strong></h5> Following the press conference, Jordi Hereu and Rosario Sánchez Grau received the new Secretary-General of UN Tourism, Shaikha Al Nowais, at the Ministry headquarters. Hereu offered her Spain's "full support and commitment" "to lead this stage of global transformation in the sector," as he wrote on social media. Two days earlier, Al Nowais was received by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, who conveyed Spain's commitment to "sustainable tourism that generates prosperity." Shaikha Al Nowais, from the United Arab Emirates, won the election for Secretary-General of UN Tourism last May during the 123rd meeting of the UN Tourism Executive Council, held at the Royal Site of San Ildefonso in La Granja (Segovia). Her appointment was ratified last November by the organization's General Assembly, held in Saudi Arabia. She is the first woman to head UN Tourism, a United Nations agency that celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2025 and is headquartered in Madrid. She succeeds Zurab Pololikashvili of Georgia, who served two consecutive terms as head of the agency. Pololikashvili had attempted to run for a third term, but his candidacy was hampered in the final stretch of the campaign by the unexpected decision of his country's government to withdraw its support (without clarifying the reasons). At the previous General Assembly, held in Samarkand, Uzbekistan, in October 2023, he managed to retain his position despite the opposition of Spain, among other countries.
