Spain received a record 85.1 million international tourists last year, 18.7% more than in 2022, according to final figures published Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
This figure is slightly higher than the estimate given a week ago by the Spanish Minister of Tourism, Jordi Hereu, who spoke of “more than 84 million” foreign visitors over a year.
It confirms the central place occupied on the world tourism map by Spain, second tourist destination in 2022 behind France - which has not yet published its 2023 figure.
According to the INE, last year the United Kingdom was the first country of origin of foreign tourists to Spain (17.3 million), ahead of France (11.8 million), Germany (10.9 million) and the Netherlands (4.9 million).
The most visited regions were Catalonia (21.2 million tourists), ahead of the Balearic Islands (16.9 million), the Canary Islands (16.4 million) and Andalusia (14.3 million).
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Engine of growth
Additional reason for satisfaction for Spain: spending by foreign tourists increased by 24.7%, reaching a record level of 108.6 billion euros, compared to 91.9 billion in 2019, the last year before the pandemic.
These figures constitute “an extraordinary starting point to continue working and improving the quality of our tourism industry in 2024”, underlined Jordi Hereu in a press release.
According to the employers' organization Exceltur, this dynamic should indeed continue this year, with a level of national and international tourism revenue expected at around 200 billion euros.
“If this forecast comes true, tourism will contribute 41.4% to Spanish economic growth,” underlined the employers' organization in mid-January during a press conference.