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Date Published: 07/01/2025

Spain sets new tourism record with more than 88.5 million visitors in 2024

The United Kingdom is still the top contributor to Spain’s international tourism

Spain has reached an impressive milestone in international tourism, welcoming more than 88.5 million international visitors in the first eleven months of 2024, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

This surge in tourism has set a new record for the country, marking a significant recovery and growth for the sector.

With just one month left in the year and the Christmas holidays still ahead, total spending by these holidaymakers had already surpassed a staggering 118 billion euros, reflecting a 16.7% increase from 2023.

The growing appeal of Spain as a travel destination is evident in the numbers, with November alone seeing 5.7 million international tourists, 10.3% more than the same month in 2023. This translated into 7.7 billion euros spent, marking a 16% increase in expenditure and an average daily spend of 178 euros per visitor.

As for the average length of stay, tourists spent a little more time in Spain last year, with the average holiday lasting 7.6 days compared to 7.4 in 2023. This trend suggests that visitors are not only flocking to Spain in increasing numbers but are also extending their holidays to enjoy the diverse attractions the country offers.

Between January and November, Catalonia was the most popular destination for foreign tourists, followed by the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. The biggest spenders also hit these three hotspots.

Interestingly though, if we look at the data for November alone, the trend is actually reversed: the Canary Islands was the main destination for holidaymakers that month, pulling in 25.6% of the total, followed by Catalonia (22.2%) and Andalucía (13.7%).

The Region of Murcia also had a stand-out 2024, and for the second consecutive year, the capital city welcomed more than half a million visitors, with foreign tourists contributing significantly to the surge.

Unsurprisingly, the UK remains Spain's largest source of international visitors, with more than 17.5 million British tourists arriving before November, an increase of 7.1%. France and Germany followed closely, with 12.2 million and 11.3 million visitors, respectively.

The British have also been the biggest spenders, contributing 18.1% of Spain's total tourist expenditure. Germany and France again follow with 12.3% and 8.8% of the total spend.

In terms of spending, holidaymakers from the United Kingdom forked out 1.161 billion euros in November alone, representing an increase of 8.7% on 2023. The second country in terms of spending was Germany, whose citizens spent 957 million on their holidays in Spain, an increase of 20.2% compared to November 2023.

In other news: 2024 becomes Spain's third hottest year of all time

Image: Zarateman via Wikimedia Commons

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