Spain welcomed 17.1 million international tourists between January and March, an increase of 5.7% compared to the same period last year. This represents a new record number of arrivals, boosted by a change in the Easter calendar, as Easter was celebrated in April this year.
According to figures released Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), these more than 17 million travelers spent €23.506 billion in the first three months, an increase of 7.2%. Average spending per tourist continues to rise, reaching €1,382 per trip at the end of March, an increase of 1.7%. At the same time, average daily spending increased by 4.5% to €188.
The British remain Spain’s most important market with 3.1 million travelers (an increase of 4.6%), followed by the French (2.1 million, an increase of 7.1%) and Germans (2 million, with a slight decrease of 0.1%). In terms of spending, the United Kingdom remains the top destination with 15.9% of total spending, followed by Germany (12.3%) and the Nordic countries (8.8%).
Despite these countries being the main sources of tourists in absolute terms, Italians (up 13.6% to 1.1 million) and Americans (up 11%, or nearly 700,000) in particular recorded the most notable growth during the quarter. This market has shown consistently strong growth since Donald Trump took office in the White House. Besides the Germans, the Nordic countries were the only ones to experience a decline, with a decline of 1.3% to nearly 1.2 million visitors.
Although the majority of foreign tourists (almost 10 million, an increase of 1.4%) stay in hotels, the strongest increases are among those staying in their own homes or with relatives (around 14%) or in rental properties (9%).
The most popular destinations were the Canary Islands during the high season (4.3 million, an increase of 2.1% compared to January-March 2024), followed by Catalonia (3.6 million, an increase of 6.4%) and Andalusia (2.5 million, an increase of 7.4%).
Tourists are coming for fewer days but spending more. Tourism spending, a key indicator for the industry, has shown a steady increase since the end of the pandemic. The figures show that tourists are generally shortening their stays but increasing their spending. At the end of March, spending was €188 per person per day, an increase of 4.5% compared to the previous year; while the average length of stay fell to 7.4 days, a decrease of 2.7%.
Average daily spending is significantly higher for hotel guests at €276 per day than for those staying in their own homes or with relatives (€109). However, hotel guests spend less time, averaging 4.8 nights, than those staying with relatives or in their own homes (11.3 nights). However, the average total expenditure per trip is similar: hotel guests spend an average of €1,327, while guests staying with relatives or in their own homes spend €1,228.
The communities that benefited most from this spending during the quarter were the Canary Islands (with 29.2% of the total), Madrid (16.4%), and Catalonia (15.7%). Madrid recorded the highest average daily spending in March at €336, although this decreased by 3.6%; However, the average length of stay increased by 10% to 5.5 days.
Catalonia follows with average spending of €220 (6.9% increase), but with a 10.6% decrease in the length of stay to 4.8 days. The Balearic Islands recorded average spending of €194, an increase of 8.4%, with an average length of stay of 7 days.
