The National Statistics Institute of Spain (INE) has revealed that 7.2 million international tourists visited Spain in April of this year.
According to the institute, this figure surpasses figures recorded for 2022 by 18.5 percent and is the highest figure since before the coronavirus pandemic.
In a press release, the INE pointed out that tourist spending totaled €8.4 billion – 22.7 percent more than in 2022 and 20.2 percent more than in 2019.
Spain’s Tourism Minister, Héctor Gómez commented on the tourism report, saying, “These are extraordinary data that demonstrate, once again, that Spain is at the forefront of world tourism, that the tourist recovery is complete and that the Government’s policies…for the modernization of the sector, are bearing fruit.”
The average spending amount per tourist was €1,172 – 3.6 percent more than in 2022, while the average daily spending amount per tourist was €173, increasing from the 2022 average by 11.6 percent.
Also, the number of days spent by international tourists during their trip in April was 6.8 days, which was similar to the 2022 number. The majority of tourists, about 3.7 million, stayed in Spain for four to seven days, representing an 18.3 percent increase for travelers choosing to stay that long during their visit.
In more stats, about 60.7 percent more tourists came from the United States in the month of April, followed by Italians and Portuguese, with 29 and 29.6 percent more tourists than in 2022.
Since the beginning of the year 2023, 21 million people have arrived in Spain – a 32.4 percent increase from the number in 2022. Also, visitors from the US have increased by 75.4 percent during this period.
The main tourist source to Spain is still the United Kingdom, with 1.4 million tourists in April – 8.7 percent more than in 2022. The United Kingdom is followed closely by France and Germany, with around one million visitors from each country traveling to Spain for their vacation.
1.5 million tourists visited Catalonia in April, making it the destination of choice for 21.3 percent of the total tourist arrivals. The number of tourists to Catalonia rose by 33 percent compared to 2022. French and American tourists were the main nationality groups among all tourist nationalities, representing 25 and 10.1 percent of all arrivals, respectively.
The Balearic Islands and Canary Islands came in second and third place for destination choice, each welcoming 1.2 million tourists. The country of origin for tourists varied among the visiting countries: more Germans stayed in the Balearic Islands, with 39.7 percent of all tourists there being German; and more Brits went to the Canary Islands, making up 36.3 percent of all tourist arrivals there.
