Spain breaks another record with more than 35 million tourists in first five months of year

Spain has consolidated its position as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world. According to the latest data published on Wednesday by the INE national institute of statistics, the country received 35 million foreign tourists in the first five months of the year, up 5.5%. This has generated an income of almost 46.6 billion euros, which represents an increase of 8.1% compared to 2024.

Tourists who visited Spain between January and May came mostly from the UK (almost 6.8 million and an increase of 6.9%), France (almost 4.6 million and an increase of 3.9%) and Germany (more than 4.5 million, an increase of 1.8%). In terms of cumulative expenditure, the British had the highest expenditure (16.9% of the total), followed by the Germans (12.5%) and the French (8.1%).

At a regional level, the areas that received the most tourists in these first five months were Catalonia (7.3 million and an increase of 2.2%), the Canary Islands (6.8 million and an increase of 4.1%) and Andalucía (5.4 million, an increase of 9.6%).

However, an interesting paradox happened in May - the prelude to the start of the summer season. The year-on-year increase in the fifth month of this year was, in relative terms, lower than the annual accumulated figure. The country received 9.4 million international visitors, an increase of 1.5%.

Something similar happened with the level of spending, although a new all-time record was registered in May. Tourists spent more than 12.2 billion euros in Spain, 4.9% more than in May 2024.

The average daily expenditure also showed an upward trend, standing at 209 euros per person with an increase of 1.9%. In addition, the average trip duration was 6.9 days.

Hotels were the most popular accommodation option in May, with 68.2% of the total number of overnight stays and an annual increase of 1.6%. At the same time, people who stayed with family or friends or at their private holiday home spent 10% more this year. In turn, visitors who came to Spain for leisure purposes generated 84% of total spending in May, an increase of 4.6% compared to 2024.

This data confirms that the profile of the international tourist visiting Spain continues to be that of a person who travels mainly for pleasure, stays in hotels and organises the trip on their own, although there is also a growing interest in package tours and stays in non-traditional accommodation.