International tourist arrivals to Spain rose by 69.7% year over year in August, reaching 8.8 million. This marks the eighth straight month with rising figures since the pandemic lull in 2019. The National Institute of Statistics (INE) reports that, even with the strong August performance, pre-sale indicators remain below peak levels reached before the pandemic. Since August 2019, Spain has welcomed about 10.1 million foreign visitors.
In August, tourism expenditure reached 11,258 million euros, a 90.6% increase from the previous year and a 3.8% drop compared with August 2019. On average, each traveler spent about 1,276 euros, up 12.3% from August 2021. The mix of origins shows the United Kingdom leading with roughly 1.8 million visitors, representing 20.8% of the total and a 157.1% year-on-year rise. France followed with about 1.6 million visitors, up 27.1%, and Germany with around 1.1 million, up 62.8%. Other notable increases came from Ireland, Italy, and the United States, each reporting double-digit growth.
From January through August, Spain attracted 48.1 million international visitors, a substantial rise over the same period last year. The United Kingdom accounted for around 10.2 million tourists, up more than fivefold, followed by France at roughly 7.0 million and Germany with about 6.5 million visitors, both posting significant gains.
Among the autonomous communities, the Balearic Islands emerged as the top destination in August, hosting 24.8% of all international visitors. Catalonia received 21.4%, and Andalusia 14.6%. The Balearics welcomed about 2.2 million travelers, a 67.2% year-over-year increase, driven mainly by Germany and the United Kingdom. Catalonia saw visitor numbers rise by 75.6% to nearly 1.9 million, with 29.7% coming from France and 11.3% from the rest of Europe. Andalusia recorded around 1.3 million tourists, up 83.9% from the previous year, with the UK and France as the leading source countries. Other regions also showed strong growth, including the Community of Madrid, the Canary Islands, and the Community of Valencia, each posting double-digit increases.
In the first eight months of the year, Catalonia led regional arrivals with a substantial increase, followed by the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The consistent rise in visitors reflects a broad-based recovery across key destinations, with the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands showing the strongest percentage gains among major regions.
The average length of stay for international tourists in August was 7.9 days, down slightly by 0.5 days from August 2021. Expenditure for the first eight months of the year surged by 247.5%, totaling 58,895 million euros compared with the same period in the prior year. The United Kingdom remained the top source of tourist spend in August, accounting for 20.5% of total expenditure, followed by France at 14.4% and Germany at 11.7%.
Tourists from the United Kingdom increased their spending by 169.2% year over year, while travelers from France and Germany registered rises of 36.2% and 72.4% respectively. These trends illustrate a robust recovery in international travel to Spain, with both higher visitor volumes and greater average spending contributing to stronger tourism outbound metrics.