One million fewer British tourists visit Spain this year compared to the pre-pandemic boom year of 2019

More than one million fewer British tourists have so far travelled to Spain this year compared to the bumper, record-breaking period before the Covid-19 pandemic, new data shows.

Spain was visited by 20 million British passengers between January and November this year, some 5% less and a decrease of 1.05 million tourists from the UK compared to the same period in 2019, according to data from national tourist authority Turespaña.

In the first 11 months of 2019, some 21.1 million Brits arrived in Spain, accounting for 24% of the total 88.4 million international visitors, while this year the figure is 22.7% of the total. However, the number of British tourists up to November is 15.5% higher compared to the same period in 2022, when 18.8 million visited from the UK, the figures show.

Looking at other nationalities, visits by Italian and French tourists by air this year exceeded pre-pandemic figures, with 10% and 5.4% more visitors. According to the data, there were 9% less Germans holidaying in Spain this year than between January and November in 2019. Tourists from the Netherlands were up almost 6%; those from Portugal, 24%; and those from Ireland, almost 17% above 2019 levels in the first eleven months of the year.

Spain's 88.4 million international passengers until November this year is 18.2% more than in the same period last year, and slightly 0.1% below 2019 figures.

Minister of Tourism Jordi Hereu said the increase in the arrival of tourists outside what is considered high season "is great news for the deseasonalisation of our tourism, which also shows how destinations are diversifying and more regions are experiencing increases in the flow of tourists outside the summer months".