BRITISH guests have as soon as once more led the cost as Spain’s prime spenders in 2024 in a yr wherein the nation’s tourism trade smashed information.
Overseas guests spent a staggering €126.3 billion over the yr – a 16.1% improve from 2023 – whereas British travellers alone contributed €22.6 billion, based on the newest information from the Spanish Institude of Statistics (INE).
It retains the Brits as Spain’s most valued prospects for the fourth yr in a row, with solely the blip of Covid stopping them from an unblemished report.
December continued a powerful run for the Spanish tourism sector, with a surge of festive-season guests spending €7.6 billion – a 7% rise in comparison with the identical month in 2023.
Guests spent a median of €1,441 per particular person – a 5.9% improve in contrast with December 2023, whereas common Day by day expenditure additionally climbed by 6.4% to €159
Even accounting for a meagre 0.6% improve, British vacationers accounted for €1.1 billion of this determine, or 14.5% of all spending.
The Canary Islands have been, predictably, the highest vacation spot for British vacationers in December, with the archipelago accounting for 29.5% of all spending.
Cataluya and Madrid adopted intently, with British guests spending closely in Barcelona’s bustling streets and the Spanish capital’s world-class museums and eating places.
Whereas Brits stay Spain’s greatest spenders, German vacationers are catching up quick.
In December, German guests splurged €952 million, a outstanding 20.4% improve from the earlier yr.
Over the course of 2024, German spending in Spain reached €15.5 billion, up 17.6% from 2023.
Nordic vacationers additionally made their mark, with the best per-person spending of any nationality, averaging €1,769 per journey in December.
With 93.8 million worldwide guests in 2024 – a ten.1% improve from the earlier yr – Spain exhibits no indicators of shedding its standing as a world tourism powerhouse.
Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands stay essentially the most sought-after areas, attracting the lion’s share of holiday makers and vacationer spending – leaving Andalucia as one of many smaller ponies within the race.
Catalonia got here out on prime by way of each vacationer numbers and spending in 2024.
The area welcomed practically 20 million worldwide guests, a 9.7% improve, and generated €23.745 million in vacationer expenditure.
The Canary Islands and Balearic Islands additionally attracted over 15 million vacationers.
