Spain welcomed 66.5 million international visitors from January through September, a rise of 18.8% compared with the same period in 2022, though still 0.6% below the pre-pandemic level of 2019. Tourist spending climbed sharply, increasing 24% to 84.608 billion euros. Provisional data released by Spain’s National Institute of Statistics show that overall spending also surpassed pre-COVID levels by 15.1%.
In September alone, Spain attracted 8.8 million international tourists, up 13.6% from September 2022 and just 0.2% shy of September 2019. Expenditures for the month reached 11.215 billion euros, 22.6% higher than September 2019 and 16% higher on a year-over-year basis.
Looking at where travelers came from in September, the United Kingdom led as the top country of residence with nearly two million visitors, accounting for 22.1% of total arrivals and showing an 8.7% year-over-year increase. Germany followed with 1.3 million visitors, up 13.5%, and France reached about one million arrivals, up 5.9%. The United States also posted a strong rise of 27.4%, while increases were also seen from Switzerland (24.9%) and Ireland (14.7%).
Traveler’s destination
The nine-month period saw Catalonia receive the most visitors, totaling almost 14.2 million and marking a 22.2% increase from the prior year. The Balearic Islands registered approximately 12.6 million arrivals, up 8.6%, while the Canary Islands saw a 14.1% rise, approaching 10 million visitors.
In September, the Balearic Islands emerged as the primary destination with 23.4% of all visitors, followed by Catalonia with 20.7% and Andalusia with 14.9%. About 2.1 million tourists visited the Balearic Islands in September, a rise of 8.7% from September 2022; among them, 30.6% were from Germany and 28% from the United Kingdom.
Tourist numbers in Catalonia grew by 11.1% to exceed 1.8 million, with 16.1% coming from France and 11.9% from the United Kingdom. Andalusia, the third-largest destination by tourist volume, welcomed more than 1.3 million visitors, up 19.1% annually, with the United Kingdom contributing 22.2% of arrivals and Germany 9.2%. In other regions, tourist arrivals rose notably, including Madrid with 11.9% growth, the Valencian Community at 10.3%, and the Canary Islands continuing to expand.
How much did foreign tourists spend?
The average spend per tourist in September was 1,271 euros, up 7.9% from the previous year, while average daily expenditure climbed 8.8% to 185 euros. Among the top spenders, visitors from the United Kingdom accounted for 20.1% of total tourism expenditure, followed by Germany at 13.5% and France at 7.3%. UK visitors spent more than last year, increasing by 16%, with Germany up 18.2% and France up 7.5%. The typical international trip duration stood at 6.9 days in September, consistent with September 2022.