Alex Trelinski
SPAIN welcomed a record number of 5.4 million foreign tourists in February with a million of those coming from the United Kingdom.
The National Institute of Statistics (INE) said on Wednesday that visitor numbers were up 7.7% than a year earlier and spending was over €7.2 billion – 7.6% more.
UK tourists at a million rose by 6.8% over a year followed by 719,366 arrivals from France(15.9% more) and 616,766 tourists from Germany(up 4.1%).
It means 10.5 million international travellers visited Spain during the first two months of the year, 6.9% more than in January-February 2024.
1.9 million of that cumulative total came from the United Kingdom.
As for February, the Canary Islands, in its high season, was the main destination for tourists in February, with 26.8% of the 5.4 million total (1.4 million), followed by Catalunya (21.1%) and Andalucia (14.4%).
The biggest percentage growth was in the Valencian Community, with an increase of 15.2% and the Balearic Islands, with 11.1%.
The majority length of stay among tourists was four to seven nights, with almost 2.6 million and an annual increase of 5.6%.
The number of visitors increased by 15.8% among those who do not stay overnight and by 2.6% among tourists with a longer stay (more than 15 nights).
More than 4.2 million tourists travelled without a tourist package in February, up 9% while nearly 1.2 million arrived with tourist packages- up 3%.
In January and February, cumulative expenditure increased by 8.3% and reached €14.3 billion.
In February, the average daily expenditure per foreign tourist stood at €183- an increase of 5.5%.
However, the average expenditure per tourist on each trip remained at €1,345 compared to a year earlier, reflecting the fall in the number of days stayed.
In the first two months of 2024, the United Kingdom and Germany along with the Nordic countries lead the list, ahead of France.
