Spain received more than 16.1 million international tourists in the first quarter of the year, which is 17.7% more than in the same period of 2023, according to data disclosed by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) this Friday.
Furthermore, these tourists spent €21.948bn in Spain between January and March, 27.2% more, ending the first quarter of the year as a "historic" period for tourism, which included Easter Week this year.
"International tourist arrivals and tourist spending in Spain experienced notable growth in March, marking the end of a historic first quarter of the year for tourism," according to the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.
In this regard, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, stressed that "this first quarter of the year - traditionally considered the low season in the past - has turned out to be the best on record, with an outstanding growth in spending at the destination and in the average spending of international tourists, which perfectly reflects the change in the tourism model."
In March, 6.3 million international tourists visited Spain, 21% more than a year earlier, as can be seen from the statistics surveys on the entry of foreign travellers (Frontur) and the associated expenditure (Egatur), which reveal that tourist expenditure in this month has once again broken records. These foreign visitors brought in €8.652 billion, representing a growth of 29.7% compared to the figure for March of last year.
More specifically, each tourist spent an average of €1,363 in March, 7.3% more than last year, and spending per day also grew, reaching €180, an increase of 5.4% year-on-year.
The average length of stay was slightly higher than a year ago too, reaching 7.6 days, according to INE data.
Lead visitors: British, German and French
Most tourists who visited Spain in March were from the United Kingdom with more than 1.2 million tourists and an increase of 13.3% compared to 2023; 909,031 tourists were German (28.7% more) and 791,648 were French (31.8% more).
The UK also led the way in the first quarter with almost 3 million and an increase of 15.1%, followed by Germany (with almost 2.1 million and an increase of 19.5%) and France (with almost 2 million, an increase of 15.7%).
Most of the tourists who arrived in Spain last March, some 4 million, chose hotel establishments as their accommodation, which represents an increase of 17.5%. Compared to these, another 866,489 opted for holiday rentals, with an increase of 55.8% in May.
The Canary Islands accounted for 26.7% of total arrivals until March
The vast majority of tourists arriving in Spain in March - 4.8 million - travelled without a package deal, 18.7% more, while another 1.6 million arrived with a package, 28.4% more.
By regions, the Canary Islands accounted for 24.3% of total arrivals in March, followed by Catalonia (21.2%) and Andalusia (15.1%), according to INE data.
In the first three months of 2024, the communities that received the most tourists were the Canary Islands (4.3 million and an increase of 14.3% compared to the same period in 2023), Catalonia (3.4 million and an increase of 20.7%) and Andalusia (2.4 million, an increase of 18.7%).
The United Kingdom recorded the highest accumulated spending
The leading countries in terms of spending in March were the United Kingdom (with 15.8% of the total), Germany (14%) and the Nordic countries (8.6%).
Spending by tourists from the United Kingdom increased by 17.8% year on year, by 45.1% for German tourists and by 27.6% for tourists from the Nordic countries.
In the first three months of 2024, the United Kingdom was the country with the highest cumulative expenditure (16.4% of the total). It was followed by Germany (12.7%) and the Nordic countries (8.6%).
By item, the most money was spent on activities with 21% of total expenditure and an increase of 26.2% compared to the same month in 2023. The next largest items were spending on international transport and accommodation, with 20.6% and 16.9% of the total, respectively. The former increased by 30.5% and the latter by 26%.
As for travel reasons, 81.5% of tourists were visiting Spain in March for leisure, with a 30.2% higher outlay than in 2023.
The autonomous communities leading in tourist spending in March were the Canary Islands (with 26.9% of the total), Catalonia (17.3%) and Andalusia (16.9%). Tourist spending increased by 20.9% in annual rate in the Canary Islands, by 38.1% in Catalonia and by 47.6% in Andalusia.
In the first three months of 2024, the regions with the highest accumulated expenditure were the Canary Islands (with 29.7% of the total), Catalonia (16.6%) and the Community of Madrid (15.5%), according to INE data.
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