Number of foreign holidaymakers visiting Spain soared 10% in April and they spent a whopping 10.8 billion euros

The tourism boom continues in Spain. In April, 8.6 million tourists visited the country, 10% more than in April 2024, when an all-time record was set. Spending by visitors this April also broke all records, totalling 10.8 billion euros, that's some 14% higher than the sector's income a year ago, according to data published on Monday by the INE national institute of statistics.

It's important to bear in mind that Easter fell in April, compared to 2024 when it was in March. Even so, the increase is considerable, both in terms of visitors and spending. Each tourist spent an average of 1,264 euros, an increase of 3.7%. As did the average spend per day, which rose to 187 euros. Tourists flock to Spain from more distant destinations and they stay longer. This is reflected in the length of stay of the majority of visitors, which was four to seven nights, 13% more than last year.

Spain is easily the European Union country with the highest number of tourists registered in the first four months of the year. The data published on Monday by Eurostat also reveals the Spanish tourism boom, where the number of nights in tourist accommodation registered an increase of 4.7% compared to last year. In detail, of the 452 million tourist nights in the first four months of the year throughout the EU (0.2% less than a year ago), 18% (79.1 million) correspond to nights spent in Spain. The second country on the list is Germany, with 16% of the total, followed by France with 15%.

The difference between domestic and foreign tourists is striking. In the EU average, 1.3% fewer tourist nights were recorded by domestic visitors in each country, while foreign visitors increased by 1%. In Spain the difference is more prominent, with a 2% drop in domestic tourists travelling in Spain, while foreign tourists' overnight stays increased by 8.3%.

The most visited region was Catalonia, where one in five international tourists arrived in April, a total of 1.7 million people. It was followed by Andalucía (16% of the total) and the Balearic Islands (15.8%).

The top international tourist market was once again the UK, with 1.6 million visitors, up 11% on a year ago. They were followed by the Germans, with a 14% increase to 1.3 million people. French tourists also increased by 11% compared to April 2024, with 1.3 million tourists. But the increase of Portuguese tourists stands out, with an increase of 37% compared to last year - almost 300,000 tourists.

In the first four months of the year as a whole, spending by international tourists exceeded 34 billion euros, 9.3% more than in the same period of 2024, when all pre-pandemic records were broken. The number of tourists exceeded 25.6 million in the first four months of the year, a 7% increase, according to the INE data.