Rewrite for Better Tourism Insight in Spain

Last June, Spain welcomed 7.5 million visitors. International tourist arrivals rose to more than three times the June 2021 level, when 2.2 million foreign visitors entered the country according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics INE.

Expenditure reached 8,993 million euros in Spain during June, a jump of 271.3 percent from the 2,422 million euros recorded in the same month of 2021.

This surge marks a continuous run of twelve consecutive monthly increases in both international arrivals and spending, continuing beyond the peak shutdown years caused by the pandemic.

In the first six months of 2022 Spain registered a 457 percent rise in tourist numbers, six times higher than the same period in 2021, when 5.4 million visitors still faced travel restrictions and total arrivals surpassed 30.2 million.

The United Kingdom led the list of source markets in the first half of 2022 with about 6.5 million visitors, a year on year increase of 2253.5 percent, followed by Germany with around one point something million, and France with about 865,973 visitors, up nearly 97 percent year over year.

UK, our main market

In June the United Kingdom supplied 1.8 million visitors, making it the top source of foreign travelers. It accounts for roughly a quarter of all arrivals and shows a dramatic rise of 1,165.9 percent compared with June 2021. Germany and France followed, with Germany contributing about 1.1 million visitors and France about 865,973, up 97.4 percent.

Ireland, the United States, and the Scandinavian countries also posted notable gains, with growth in the tens to hundreds of percent.

The Balearic Islands drew the largest share of visitors in June, representing 26.3 percent of the total, followed by Catalonia at 21.6 percent and Andalusia at 13.5 percent.

Close to 2 million travelers arrived in the Balearic Islands, up 198.5 percent from 2021, with Germany accounting for 31.6 percent of arrivals and the United Kingdom for 27 percent. Catalonia saw a 298.3 percent rise to 1.6 million visitors, while Andalusia welcomed just over one million, up 240.9 percent year on year.

Other communities also posted increases, with 335.1 percent growth in the Community of Madrid, 306.9 percent in the Canary Islands, and 207.9 percent in the Community of Valencia.

Catalonia, the Canary Islands, and the Balearic Islands led the six month totals with more than six million, over 5.7 million, and nearly 5.2 million visitors respectively, reflecting year on year gains of 517.6 percent, 662.5 percent, and 314.1 percent.

The airport remained the most common entry mode in June, recording 6.4 million arrivals and a robust gain of 273.3 percent. Road traffic rose 92.4 percent, rail increased 178.2 percent, and port entries jumped 819.5 percent.

Market based accommodation emerged as the main lodging choice in June with a 274.4 percent annual uptick. Within this category hotels grew 280.2 percent while rental housing rose 225.2 percent.

Non market accommodation rose 104.3 percent. Stays with relatives or friends grew 133.3 percent while stays in the travelers own homes increased 69.8 percent.

INE data show that entertainment, relaxation and holidays topped the reasons for travel with 6.6 million visitors, up 273.4 percent. Work related trips and other purposes rose 126.2 percent and 59.5 percent respectively.

About 5.6 million travelers visited Spain without a package tour, up 202.9 percent. Around 1.9 million arrived with packages, increasing 404.7 percent.

triple spending

The rise in visitors continues to drive spending. The average expenditure per tourist in June reached 1,205 euros, up 10.3 percent year on year. Average daily spending rose 18.6 percent to 174 euros.

In the first half of 2022 total international tourist spending climbed 515.5 percent from the previous year and totaled 35,769 million euros.

INE shows the typical international tourist trip lasts 6.9 days, slightly shorter than June 2021 by half a day.

The United Kingdom remained the top spender in June, responsible for 21.6 percent of total expenditures, followed by Germany with 13.8 percent and France with 7.1 percent. UK expenditures surged 1,183.9 percent year over year, Germany rose 124.3 percent, and France rose 110.1 percent.

For the first half of 2022 the United Kingdom also led in expenditures, accounting for 19.9 percent of the total. Germany and France followed with 14.2 percent and 8.1 percent respectively.

The Balearic Islands topped the regional expenditure share in June with 24.2 percent of the total, followed by Catalonia at 20.6 percent and Andalusia at 13.1 percent.

Tourist spending rose in all major destinations with the Balearic Islands up 194.8 percent year on year, Catalonia up 377.2 percent, and Andalusia up 286.7 percent. Other key destinations also showed positive gains.

Expenditures on operations were the leading category in June at 21.1 percent of total spending, up 268 percent from 2021. The main components were external transport and accommodation, contributing 20.1 and 18 percent of total respectively, with external transport up 306.5 percent and accommodation up 270.6 percent.

In June, 67.9 percent of total expenditures came from travelers staying in hotels, up 322.3 percent. Non market accommodation spending rose 130.8 percent.

Spending by visitors not traveling on a package tour grew 242.2 percent year over year, while those on a package increased 406.9 percent.

Regarding trip purpose, leisure travelers accounted for 87 percent of total spending, rising 317.1 percent from June 2021.

The total overnight stays by international visitors in all types of accommodation exceeded 51.5 million, up 213.1 percent. The Balearic Islands logged the most overnight stays with 12 million, up 157.6 percent, followed by Catalonia with about 9 million and Andalusia with around 8.3 million, both experiencing strong growth.