Spain saw travel expenditure of 9.3115 billion euros in the first quarter, with over 8.317 million trips recorded, a level that recalls the pre-pandemic period of 2019 despite a sharp drop in overall trip numbers. The rise in spending is a characteristic shared by both resident travelers and international visitors who continue to choose Spain as a preferred destination.
Data from the Resident Tourism Survey released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) show that between January and March, Spaniards completed 35.25 million trips, roughly 10% more than a year earlier, yet still below the near 42 million trips logged in the first quarter of 2019. The travel pattern mirrors the pre-Covid period, with about 89% of trips domestic and nearly 11% international.
Domestic flights rose by 5.8% compared with the previous year, while international flights—rebounding after the pandemic—registered a strong 62.1% growth.
Average daily spend increased by 23%
Total travel spending in the first quarter reached 9.3115 billion euros, up 32.2% from the same period in 2022 and above 8.317 million euros in the January–March 2019 frame. In March 2019, the comparable figure shows the higher benchmark researchers use for context.
Total expenditure on trips to national destinations rose 16.2% year over year, reaching 6.016 billion euros. The average spend per traveler stood at 191 euros, with an average daily expenditure of 68 euros (68 euros in 2019 for the same period).
International travel accounted for 3.296 billion euros in spending, marking a 76.3% increase versus a year earlier. The average daily expenditure per international traveler was 114 euros, compared with 107 euros four years ago.
Within national travel, the largest share of spending went to bars and restaurants, representing 26.7% of the total and rising 22.5% from the first quarter of 2022. In international travel, transport costs alone represented 34.7% of total expenditure, up 70% year on year.
Among the autonomous communities of origin, residents of the Canary Islands reported the highest average daily spend (90 euros), followed by the Basque Country (89) and Catalonia (88). The lowest daily averages were observed in Extremadura (58 euros), Aragón (67) and Castilla-La Mancha (71).
Entertainment and holidays accounted for 42% of total travel expenditure and rose 12.3% year on year; visits to relatives or friends made up 39.8% of total spending, while business or professional trips increased by 21.1%.
The average trip duration was 3.3 days, slightly longer than 2019 (3.1 days). Domestic trips averaged around 2.8 days, and international trips extended to about 7.7 days, up from 6.5 days in 2019.
Visiting relatives and friends, and the role of car travel
Forty-four percent of trips involved someone staying at the home of relatives or friends, while hotel stays accounted for 45.9% of trips, a 42.2% increase from the previous year’s first quarter.
Private car use accounted for 78.27% of domestic trips, and air travel formed about 70% of international trips, up 83.2% from the prior year and moving closer to pre-Covid volumes.
The main destinations by origin remained Andalusia (16.6%), Catalonia (12.8%), and the Community of Valencia (9.1%). Madrid residents represented 17.2% of all trips, followed by Andalusia (17.1%) and Catalonia (16.2%).
Removing the effects of population size, the highest traveler rates per 1,000 people appeared in Aragon (1,046), Madrid (855), and Castilla y León (825). The lowest rates were in Murcia (502), and in La Rioja and Galicia (both 600).