Spain welcomed 13.7 million foreign visitors in the first quarter of the year. While this figure is 3.5% below pre-pandemic levels, total tourism expenditure reached 17,201 million euros, up 11.9% compared with 2019.”
The number of foreign visitors to Spain during the first three months of 2023 shows a year-on-year increase of 41.2%, with total spending rising by 44.7%.
Leading source markets in the first quarter of 2023 were the United Kingdom, contributing around 2.6 million tourists with an annual gain of 46.7%; France, exceeding 1.7 million visitors and a 31.5% rise; and Germany, about 1.7 million tourists, up 29.8%.
The United Kingdom also accounted for the largest share of expenditure through March, at 16.6% of the total, followed by Germany with 11.7% and Nordic countries with 8.9%, according to the border surveys on tourist movements (Frontur) and tourist spending (Egatur) published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) this Thursday.
In March alone, 5.3 million tourists arrived in Spain, a 30.1% year-over-year increase. However, total spending decreased by 5.4% to 6.657 million euros, still reflecting a 31.1% rise versus 2022 and a 10.3% increase compared with 2019 before the pandemic, covering both travel and accommodation expenditures.
The average expenditure per tourist stood at 1,266 euros, showing a 0.7% annual uptick, and daily spending averaged 168 euros, up 6.6% from the previous year.
The typical length of stay for international visitors reached 7.6 days, nearly the same as a year earlier, with a slight 0.4-day drop from March 2022, yet still higher than pre-COVID levels of 7.1 days.
Business and professional travel to Spain continued to grow, with 457,535 visits in March, up 25%, and a cumulative total of 1.1 million trips by the same month, up 48.5% year over year.
Hector Gomez, the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, described the March data as a standout year for tourism, highlighting both stronger spending and longer stays. He noted that tourism is becoming a core driver of the Spanish economy, supporting high-quality employment and a diverse, innovative set of destinations.
According to the tourism leadership, the sector is consolidating its role as a principal economic engine, with continued growth in visitor numbers and spending, as well as a broadening range of attractive offerings for travelers.
UK leads by volume, US leads by growth
The United Kingdom remains the most active source market, recording 1.1 million travelers, a 29.4% rise from March 2022. Despite a slight 11.6% drop in average spending per person to 1,085 euros, the UK still ranks first in total expenditure.
France and Germany continue to be the most visited nations, with 673,584 and 613,323 tourists respectively, representing annual increases of 10.7% and 34.1%.
In terms of growth, the United States posted the largest momentum in March, with a 74.1% rise in tourist numbers versus March 2022. Other notable gains come from Portugal and Italy, each up around 51% year over year.
The first two destinations, the Canary Islands and Catalonia
In March, the Canary Islands welcomed 1.3 million visitors, making it the leading entry point and accounting for 24.7% of the total. The year-on-year rise stood at 15.5%, driven mainly by travelers from the United Kingdom, who represented 35.2% of the total, and Germany with 18.4%.
Catalonia ranked second in international arrivals in March, surpassing one million visitors and representing 19.5% of the total, up 44.9% from the previous year. Andalusia followed with 803,139 arrivals, an increase of 31.7% year over year.
For the quarter as a whole, the Canary Islands led with over 3.7 million visitors, up 30.9% from the previous year, followed by Catalonia with almost 2.8 million arrivals, up 53.4%, and Andalusia with nearly 2 million, up 46.2%.
Other regions also posted strong growth, with Valencia up 34.8% year over year, Madrid up 32.8%, and the Balearic Islands up 17.5% in the quarter. These patterns reflect a broad-based expansion of tourism across Spain, supported by higher visitor confidence and enhanced regional offerings.