Tourism begins 2024 as it ended in 2023, breaking all records. The arrival of foreign visitors to Spain was 16.12 million visitors between January and March, compared to 13.7 million in 2023 or 14.2 million in 2019, the last year before the pandemic, according to official data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The push of British tourists and the recovery of the Germans were decisive in achieving these records.
Never have so many tourists come to Spain as they did between January 1 and December 31, 2024. And, furthermore, they have never spent so much. Foreign visitors spent 21,948 million in the first quarter, above the 17,200 that the sector invoiced from these visitors in 2023 and shattering the records of 2019, when foreign tourists spent 15,300 million.
By country, the British and Germans lead the destination spending table, with 1,365 million and 1,207 million respectively. The average expenditure per visitor is 1,363 euros and the citizens who have increased it the most since 2023 were those arriving from Germany, who have spent 45% more.
INE data also show that the number of tourists from the United States is growing considerably. In the first quarter, 958,000 arrived, 18% more than in the same period in 2023. The official body does not specify what the spending of American visitors was, but it does include them in the “rest of the world” category, which is tourists. with a higher average daily expense per person, with 214 euros.
The Canary Islands were the first main destination for tourists in March, with 24.3% of the total. They were followed by Catalonia (21.2%) and Andalusia (15.1%). In the accumulated of the first three months of 2024, the autonomous communities that received the most tourists were also 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 20.7%) and Andalusia (2.4 million, 18.7%. The Community of Madrid welcomed 1.9 million tourists, 21.6% more, between January and March.
According to the INE, the number of tourists who used market accommodation as their main mode increased by 23.3% in annual rate. Within this type, hotel accommodation grew by 17.5% and rental housing by 55.8%. Non-market accommodation increased by 11.8%.
The majority length of stay among tourists was four to seven nights, with almost 3.2 million and an annual increase of 28.8%. The number of visitors increased by 18.6% among those who did not stay overnight (excursionists) and 16.7% among tourists with a longer stay (more than 15 nights).
