Tourism confirms its resurgence after a two-year hiatus due to the pandemic. Initially, the industry relied on strong demand from Spanish clients to kickstart the recovery, but is now also clinging to the recovery in foreign tourist-related business to boost activity that is keeping its pace despite international economic uncertainty.
Spain welcomed 67.4 million international tourists between January and November. which means doubling last year’s 28.2 million (+138%) and with what Recovers 85% of pre-pandemic arrival levels, according to data released this Wednesday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The industry has achieved 18 consecutive months of growth in the number of foreign tourists following the covid crash and travel restrictions to combat the pandemic, but still keeping a close distance. 12 million fewer tourists than before Pandemic.
Despite doubts about the strength of international customer demand after a record summer smashed by inflation and the economic slowdown, the reality is that activity continues to hold its own. In November, 4.34 million tourists came to Spain, which is 29% more than last year and saved 93% of passengers in the same month of 2019 from the pre-covid era.
Since the official data for December is unknown, Industry forecasts are estimated to reach between 70 and 71 million international tourists in the whole of 2022. It will confirm reactivation during the year compared to 31 million in 2021, but still far from the record 83.7 million arrivals reached in 2019.
United Kingdom It was the country with the highest number of tourists with 14.4 million tourists between January and November. and an increase of almost 270% from last year, but still well below the 17 million mark in the last year before the pandemic. With 9.4 million (+78%) and 9.3 million (+94%) travelers, respectively, the markets with the highest number of tourists visited Spain were France and Germany.
In the total of the first eleven months of last year, Autonomous communities receiving the most tourists were Catalonia (approximately 14 million and 24% less than in 2019, up 167% over the previous year), Balearic Islands (13 million recovering 110.5% more in one year and almost 96% of pre-pandemic levels) and Canary Islands (Over 11 million, 155.0% more than a year ago and recovering 93% of 2019 data).
spending grows
This In the January-November period, the total expenditure of international tourists reached 81 billion 821 million euros.pulls almost 161% of last year’s data and Recovering almost 94% of pre-pandemic levels It is seen that the effect of price increases in the sector and increasing inflation due to the revival in demand on company costs are effective.
According to the Tourist Expenditure Survey (Egatur) by INE, in the first eleven months of 2019 before the pandemic, international tourist spending reached 87,265 million euros, or 5,444 million euros compared to the same period last year. where all expenses incurred by travelers are calculated (includes not only expenses incurred in Spain that directly affect our economy, but also transportation costs that can be incurred with a foreign airline).