Alex Trelinski
FOREIGN tourists looking for a winter break significantly boosted Spain’s visitor numbers in February, with five million arrivals this year- 15.9% more than in 2023.
The figures from the National Statistics Institute(INE) show the United Kingdom as the biggest foreign group with 939,712 arrivals, an impressive 20.3% increase over 12 months, and accounting for nearly 20% of the overseas market.
France was next with 619,218(down 1.4%) followed by Germany on 592,188(up 11.3%).
Between January and February, the main countries were the United Kingdom, with nearly 1.8 million and an increase of 16.4%; France, with almost 1.2 million and an increase of 7.1%, and Germany, with more than 1.1 million, up 13.0%.
February’s visitors put a record amount of money for that month into Spanish coffers- €6.7 billion and 25.8% more than a year earlier, according to the INE.
The first two months of 2024 has seen foreign tourist totals rise by 15.6% to reach almost 9.8 million.
The average expenditure per tourist was €1,347 euros, with an annual increase of 8.5%, and the average daily expenditure grew by 5.8%, to €173.
Spain’s Tourism Minister, Jordi Hereu, said:- “Spain’s tourist low season is already showing as a period of expansion and this has a positive impact on tourist spending and the quality of employment.”
The majority length of stay among tourists ranged from four to seven nights, with more than 2.4 million and an annual increase of 18.0%.
The number of visitors increased by 13.0% among those who did not stay overnight (day-trippers) and by 12.8% among tourists with longer stays (more than 15 nights).
Almost 3.9 million tourists travelled without a tourist package in February, 15.0% more, while more than 1.1 million arrived with a tourist package, 19.4% more.
The main tourist regions with the greatest amount of February spending were the Canary Islands, with 32.3% of the total; Catalunya, with 16.4%, and the Community of Madrid, with 14.7%.
In year-on-year terms, tourist spending increased by 21.6% in the Canary Islands, 17.8% in Catalunia and 36.9% in the Community of Madrid.
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