Spain is experiencing an unprecedented tourism boom that extends far beyond the traditional high season. April 2025 recorded a record number of international arrivals, similar to the visitor volume of a June day before the pandemic. This development solidifies Spain’s position as a global tourism leader and underscores the successful de-seasonalization of the sector.
Tourism in Spain: One Record After Another
The first quarter of 2025 marks the best since records began for the Spanish tourism sector, a continuation of the record year 2024. Month after month, new peaks in foreign tourist arrivals are being reached, according to data from the INE. This continuous increase is a direct result of the robust recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, which has elevated the sector to an unprecedented level.
In April 2025, an impressive 8.6 million international travelers arrived in Spain, an increase of 10.1% compared to the same month last year. This increase, largely influenced by Easter – which this year fell in April, unlike 2024 –, surpassed the previous record of 7.8 million tourists in the same month of the previous year. This marked the third consecutive time the historical ceiling for April was exceeded. Since 2019, the volume of foreign tourists arriving in Spain in April has increased by 19.9%, significantly exceeding the 7.1 million visitors received then and approaching the pre-pandemic travel volume of busier months like June and September.
De-seasonalization as a Success Factor
The traditionally highly seasonal dependence of Spanish sun and beach tourism, with over 40% of annual visitors arriving in the summer months, is beginning to flatten. The post-pandemic tourism boom is evident both within and outside the high season, significantly contributing to the sector’s de-seasonalization. The 10.1% increase in April this year was the strongest since November, and the growth in visitor numbers has been continuous since the sector’s recovery began in mid-2021.
If the growth rate of the last four months continues – Spain received 7.1% more tourists between January and April than in the previous year, totaling 25.6 million – as many travelers could have arrived in the country in May as in July 2019. Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu emphasized the increasing regularity of activity throughout the year and the resulting added value for the Spanish economy. Tourist spending in Spain is also growing faster than the mere arrival numbers, further strengthening the positive impact on the economy.
