Spain is extending its tourism boom beyond the peak summer months, nudging 2023 toward a new record. Between January and November, a total of 79.85 million tourists visited the country, surpassing pre-pandemic levels in 2019 by 0.8 percent and marking an 18.2 percent rise compared with the same period last year, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The sector has posted three consecutive months of arrivals above the previous record, continuing past the summer peak. From September to November, international visitors remain above 2019 figures. While official December data are still awaited, the year is on track to surpass historical highs for the entire year. Tourism companies anticipate further gains, helped by solid demand during the first bridge holidays and the Christmas period.
Industry projections indicate that foreign tourist arrivals for the year will exceed the historical maximum seen before the pandemic, which stood at 83.7 million international travelers in 2019. Recovery had already begun strongly in 2022 after mobility restrictions caused a sharp collapse. Foreign arrivals reached 71.5 million in 2022, recovering about 85 percent of pre-Covid levels and rising about 130 percent from 2021’s 31 million.
Also out of summer
Travel volumes and spending accelerated notably in the second half of the year, particularly during periods traditionally regarded as low season. Jordi Hereu, the new Minister of Industry and Tourism, emphasized the positive impact on the national economy, including GDP and employment, from this sustained momentum.
In November, a month outside the traditional high season, Spain welcomed 5.1 million international tourists. This figure was 18.6 percent higher than October 2022 and 10.5 percent above pre-Covid November 2019, supporting the move toward deseasonalizing activity.
In the first eleven months of 2023, the leading donor markets were the United Kingdom with more than 16.4 million visitors, up 14.4 percent year over year; France with almost 11 million visitors, up 16.5 percent; and Germany with more than 10.2 million visitors, up 9.9 percent. Catalonia was the most visited autonomous community with 17 million travelers, up 21 percent, followed by the Balearic Islands with 14.2 million visitors and an 8.9 percent rise, and the Canary Islands with 12.6 million travelers, up 13.1 percent.
Record spending
Tourists visiting Spain spent a total of 101.569 billion euros for travel planning and stay, a new record that exceeds last year’s figures by 24 percent and pre-pandemic levels by 17 percent between January and November, according to INE data. Expenditure by visitors is rising quickly due to the surge in arrivals and simultaneous high numbers of tourists, with rising prices driving the expansion; the industry notes its actions to manage this trend.
Per-traveler and per-night spending data also show higher tourism quality in the country. On average, each tourist spent 1,294 euros in November, 4.2 percent more than a year earlier. Daily spending stood at 173 euros, up 4.1 percent from the previous year.
While the INE prepares the Egatur tourism expenditure survey, the Bank of Spain assesses tourism income through the balance of payments. There is always a gap between income and expenditure data. The INE tallies all expenses incurred by travelers, including transportation costs abroad, which may not be reflected in the balance of payments data.
According to the latest balance of payments figures from the Bank of Spain, tourism income earned from international travelers during their stay in Spain reached 74.0 billion euros by October. In the first ten months of the year, the euro value was 22 percent higher than the same period last year (60.7 billion) and 16.7 percent above pre-Covid levels in 2019 (63.4 billion). INE’s Egatur data for October show accumulated expenses for the nine months totaling 94.916 billion euros.