Spain remains a magnet for international travelers! Although growth slightly slowed in May 2025 with a 1.5% increase compared to the previous year, this rise was enough to set a new record in the country’s tourism history. In total, Spain welcomed 9.4 million foreign tourists in May, who spent an impressive 12,254 million Euros. This confirms a welcome trend: spending is growing faster than arrivals.
Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu expressed his satisfaction, emphasizing on social media: “Our country continues on the path of tourism leadership and the consolidation of a model of triple economic, social, and environmental sustainability, for which we have been working for some time.” Compared to May 2024, nearly 140,000 additional international visitors arrived in the country, underpinning the uninterrupted upward trend since the post-pandemic recovery. Since May 2019, before the Covid-19 outbreak, the number of foreign travelers has even increased by a remarkable 18.6%. In the first five months of 2025, over 35 million foreign tourists have already visited Spain, a 5.5% increase compared to the same period last year.
Growth Stabilizes at High Levels: Sector Perspectives
The slowdown in growth in May, compared to the impressive 10.1% in April (boosted by Easter) or the 7.7% in February and 6.1% in January, is positively interpreted by the tourism sector as stabilization. Jorge Marichal, President of the Spanish Federation of Hotels and Tourist Accommodation (Cehat), explained: “After the pandemic, we started very strongly to pick up the pace, and now we have been planning for several quarters. The percentage increases are not as large, but we are gradually gaining more altitude.”
Britons remained the largest group of tourists in May. Nearly 2.1 million visitors from the United Kingdom traveled to Spain, an increase of 7.3% compared to May 2024. This increase largely offset the slight decline in French and Germans, who, despite a decrease of 6.7% and 6.1% respectively, still represented the second and third most frequent nationalities. In contrast, Portugal and Ireland showed particularly strong growth rates, with an increase of 16.9% (225,726 tourists) and 13.2% (328,459 tourists) respectively compared to the previous year.
Tourist Spending: Each Visitor Spends More in the Country
The increase in tourist numbers in May was accompanied by an even more dynamic growth in spending: it rose by 4.9% compared to 2024, reaching a total of 12,254 million Euros. This record value reflects both the increased visitor influx and higher per capita spending. Tourism Minister Hereu highlighted: “For another month, spending at the destination is growing above visitor arrivals and inflation.”
Each tourist spent an average of 1,304 Euros, an increase of 3.3% compared to the previous year. Average daily spending climbed by 1.9% to 209 Euros. Cumulatively, total spending until May amounts to an impressive 46,586 million Euros, an 8.1% increase compared to the first five months of 2024. Although Britons, Germans, and French accounted for the largest share of overall spending (38.2%), only travelers from the United Kingdom spent more than in the previous year. For Germans and French, the decline in arrivals was noticeable in total spending, although average spending per tourist increased in both cases (0.5% to 1,151 Euros for Germans and 7.4% to 829 Euros for French). Nordic tourists remained the biggest spenders, averaging 1,387 Euros per visit, supported by longer stays of about eight days.
Regional Distribution: Balearic Islands and Catalonia Lead, Andalusia with Strong Growth
The Balearic Islands were the autonomous community with the most foreign tourists in May, although figures were slightly below 2024 levels. With almost 2 million passengers, 21.2% of total arrivals were accounted for by the archipelago. Closely followed by Catalonia, where visitor numbers also decreased by 5.6%. Andalusia, however, welcomed 8.1% more tourists, around 1.5 million. In terms of spending, the largest shares were also concentrated in the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and Andalusia (53.3% of total spending), with Andalusia standing out with an impressive 11.1% growth. Madrid remained the hotspot with the highest per capita spending, averaging 2,024 Euros per tourist over an average stay of 6.5 days.
The Ministry of Tourism also highlighted the growth in spending by 16.4% and arrivals by 7.5% in less traditionally tourist-heavy communities – beyond the six major regions (Andalusia, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, Catalonia, Valencia, and Madrid). Hereu emphasized: “These are indicative figures for the transformation of the tourism model that is gradually consolidating in Spain.” He added: “The diversification of the proposal, the deconcentration of destinations, decentralization, and de-seasonalization are the directions in which we will continue to work so that the benefits of tourism reach the entire territory.”
Outlook for Summer: Record Season Expected – But Challenges Remain
After the development of international tourism between January and May confirmed its strength, the tourism sector looks confidently towards the summer months. The State Society for the Management of Innovation and Tourism Technologies (Segittur) predicts the arrival of 11.17 million foreign tourists in July and another 11.2 million in August, which would represent an increase of 3% and 2.4% respectively compared to the previous year. If these expectations are met, it would be a record summer with projected spending of 32,208 million Euros for July and August – an increase of 4.2%.
These unprecedented figures have recently sparked a debate about the saturation of destinations and the social sustainability of an activity that is a key economic driver for the country. The president of Cehat admitted: “The challenge this season is to sustainably manage a high-occupancy environment, which is positive for visitors and residents. Success lies not only in achieving record numbers but also in the proper distribution of these flows to avoid overcrowding of the busiest destinations, extend stays, promote emerging destinations, and combat seasonality.”
