According to figures issued by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), Spain witnessed a considerable increase in international tourism in May, with 8.2 million tourists, representing an 18% increase over the same period in 2022 and a 4% increase over May 2019.
With a total expenditure of €9.73 million, these results reflect a historical high in terms of both visitor numbers and spending. This is a 21% increase over the previous year and a 19% increase above pre-pandemic levels.
Spain received a total of 29.2 million visitors in the first five months of the year, representing a stunning 28% increase over the same period last year. During this time, overall spending amounted to €35.4 million, representing a 32% increase over the previous year and a 16% rise over 2019.
According to INE estimates, the average expenditure per visitor in Spain in May was €1,183, a 3% rise over the previous year. Furthermore, the average daily spending increased by 11.6 percent to €185, demonstrating that tourists spend more every day.
Furthermore, figures show that the majority of tourists stayed in Spain for four to seven nights, with over 4.2 million visitors falling into this category. This indicates a considerable annual increase of 22.8% in duration of stay, indicating the demand for longer trips among May visitors to Spain.
UK Tops the List as Main Source Country for Tourists
With nearly 1.8 million visitors in May 2023, the United Kingdom remained the biggest source country for tourists visiting Spain.
According to INE data, such a significant number of tourists accounts for 22.2 percent of overall tourist arrivals and marks a 10.4 percent increase over May 2022.
Following the United Kingdom, France and Germany are important contributors to Spain’s tourism industry.
France received 1.2 million visitors, reflecting a 24.1 percent annual growth rate. Germany came in second with roughly 1.1 million tourists, an 8.7 percent rise over the previous year.
In addition to the aforementioned, there is a considerable annual increase in tourists from other countries.
The number of visitors visiting Spain from the United States increased by 38.8 percent. Portugal experienced a 26.2 percent increase in visitor arrivals, while Belgium contributed a 19.6 percent increase.
Balearic Islands Attracted Highest Number of Tourists in May 2023
In May of this year, the Balearic Islands was the top tourist destination, accounting for 21.9 per cent of the total arrivals.
Catalonia closely followed with 21.8 per cent, and Andalusia ranked in third place with 14.7 per cent.
According to data, the Balearic Islands welcomed 1.8 million tourists, a 10.2 percent rise over May 2022. The leading countries of origin for visitors to the Balearic Islands were Germany (31.3%) and the United Kingdom (29.0%).
Catalonia saw a considerable increase in tourist visits, with around 1.8 million visitors, a 21.7 percent increase. 21.9 percent of tourists visiting Catalonia were from France, while 11.0 percent were from the United States.
Andalusia was the third most visited community, with over 1.2 million tourists, a 16.5 percent increase over the previous year. The United Kingdom was the leading source of tourists to Andalusia, accounting for 25.5% of the total, followed by France (11.4%).
Other regions had significant increases in tourist numbers, including a 26.3% increase in the Comunitat Valenciana, a 23.3% increase in the Comunidad de Madrid, and a 9.7% increase in the Canary Islands.
Catalonia got the most tourists in the first five months of 2023, with about 6.1 million, which is 37.5 percent more than in the same period in 2022.
The Canary Islands came in second with roughly 5.9 million visitors, a 21.0 percent rise. Andalusia attracted about 4.4 million visitors, indicating a 31.7 percent increase.
