Tourist activity in Spain shows signs of deseasonalization. A better distribution of foreign visitors throughout the year, which reduces temporality and promotes quality over quantity, is among the major objectives of the sector. And, according to the latest data, it is beginning to be achieved.
Tourist arrivals until September increased by 18.8% compared to the same period in 2022 and exceeded 66.5 million, the INE reported this Thursday. This is only 0.6% fewer visitors than in 2019, the last record year, but a greater distribution is observed throughout the year.
If in 2019 August was the month with the most visitors and the bulk of the activity was highly concentrated in summer, so far in 2023 shows less dependence on June, July and August. This April and May, in addition, the number of international travelers in those same months of 2019 was exceeded.
The big difference is in the spending made by these tourists, with significant growth as a result of the increase in prices for accommodation (mainly hotels) and tourist services. The 66.5 million travelers spent 84,608 million euros until September, 24% more than in 2022 and 15.1% above 2019, which shows their weight in the country's economy.
In the month of September, spending reached 11,215 million euros, which represents an increase of 22.6% compared to the same month in 2022 and 16.6% compared to 2019. The average spending per tourist increased also 7.9% annually, up to 1,271 euros. The number of overnight stays, a basic indicator to measure the quality of tourism arriving in Spain, also grows in September (12.7% annually), with nearly 60.5 million.
“Spain not only counts the number of tourists,” but also takes into account other indicators, such as overnight stays, average spending or environmental impact to “launch balanced policies committed to the growth of the entire country, as well as the sensitivities of each territory,” highlighted the acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Héctor Gómez.
By source markets, the United Kingdom continues to top the list in September, with 1,951,066 tourists and an increase of 8.7% compared to September 2022. Germany and France, in that order, are the following countries with the most tourists visiting Spain , although the market that is making the most progress is the United States, with 27.4% more arrivals (430,220 travelers) in September alone.
Tourists from more distant countries tend to stay longer in the country and, therefore, also spend more. In terms of destinations, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia and Andalusia accounted for 59% of foreign travelers.
