A record number of tourists (74.7 million) visited Spain through October.

In the first ten months of this year, a total of 74.7 million tourists visited Spain, which is already higher than the accumulated number for 2019 (by 0.2%) and 18.2% higher than the accumulated number for the same period last year, as reported by the Institute of National Statistics (INE) in today's data.

In this period, tourists spent around 95 billion euros, 16% higher than the data for 2019. For the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Ireu, these figures demonstrate that "we are transforming the historical essence of our tourism: Spain remains a leader, the recovery of the sector is complete and absolute, but we are diversifying and deseasonalizing flows, which contributes to a more sustainable tourism and reduces dependence on the summer season. "

Major sources of tourists

The main sources of tourists in the first 10 months of 2023 were:

• The United Kingdom (with about 15.5 million tourists and an annual growth rate of 14.3%)
• France (with almost 10.4 million and an increase of 17.0%)
• Germany (with more than 9.6 million and an increase of 9.4%)

Spain is approaching a new record for visitor numbers this year. In October, a total of 8.17 million international tourists visited our country, 13.9% more than in October 2022 and 7.8% more than in October 2019, counting the year as the benchmark before the pandemic. The UK was the top exporting country, with over 1.7 million tourists, representing 20.9% of the total and an increase of 12.2% compared to October 2022. And Germany and France are the next countries with the highest number of tourists sent to Spain. Germany brought in more than 1.1 million (an 8% annual increase) and France almost a million (a 9% increase). Among the other countries of residence, the annual increase in the number of tourists from the United States (25.7%), the Netherlands (19.6%) and Ireland (15.1%) is clearly visible.

Favorite destinations

In terms of destinations, Catalonia was the most popular for tourists last October, scoring 20.4% of visits, followed by the Balearic Islands (18%) and the Canary Islands (15.5%).

Methods of arrival and accommodation

The main mode of arrival for these tourists was by air, with more than 7 million tourists and an annual growth rate of 13.5%. Tourists staying in hotels increased by 15.4%, while those staying in rented accommodation increased by 2.5%. Tourists who stayed with relatives or friends rose by 17.4%, while those staying in their own lodgings rose by 7.5%. Vacations and vacations attracted 7 million tourists to our country by 14.2%, while 607,527 (10% more) arrived for business or professional purposes. According to INE data, the main stay for most tourists was between four and seven nights.

Tourist spending

With the overall increase in the number of tourists in Spain, the record of tourist spending has also risen. Last October, foreign visitors contributed a total of 10.308 billion euros, marking an increase of 23.9% compared to the best figure recorded in the same month of 2019 and 24% more than in 2022.

The INE data highlights that in the first ten months of 2023, total spending by foreign tourists rose by 24% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 94.916 billion euros. If we compare this amount to data for 2019, before the pandemic, tourist spending is 16% higher. Travelers from the UK were the highest spenders, accounting for 18% of the total, followed by Germany (13.1%) and France (7.7%). Spending by tourists living in the UK increased by 18% year-on-year, spending by Germans increased by 14.2% and spending by the French increased by 14.5%. In the first 10 months of the year, the UK was also the country with the highest accumulated spend (18.7% of the total). They are followed by Germany (12.0%) and France (9.1%). In terms of areas where tourists spent the most last October, these were Catalonia (with 18.5% of the total), the Canary Islands (17%) and the Balearic Islands (16.9%). Tourist spending increased by 27% year-on-year in Catalonia, 12.8% in the Canary Islands and 16.9% in the Balearic Islands.

Transportation and purpose of travel

Transportation was the main item of expenditure with 20.7% of the total and an increase of 34% compared to the same month in 2022. 67.2% of total spending in October was made by overnight hotel travelers, with a year-over-year increase of 24.1%. In terms of trip purpose, tourists visiting Spain for entertainment purposes generated 84.4% of total spending (with spending 23.3% higher than in October 2022), according to INE.