20 May, 2025 @ 17:48
1 min read

Spain’s stranglehold on British tourism is ‘under threat’ by a Mediterranean rival

UK tourists focus on holiday breaks in Spain as Greece and Turkey get shunned due to Ukraine war
Cordon Press image

BRITS are flocking to an alternative Mediterranean destination as Spain’s stronghold on UK tourism begins to slip.

As anti-tourism protests continue to sweep Spain, a new rival is emerging in the market for British tourists. 

In 2024, Turkey reached a historic milestone with 62 million tourists flooding into the country. 

READ MORE: Concern in Spain’s tourism sector as Brits turn their back on holiday islands

RIVAL: Turkey has stunning coves and white sand beaches to rival Mallorca and Ibiza.
PHOTO: GoTurkiye

This makes it the fifth most visited tourist destination in the world, just behind Italy with 64 million arrivals each year. 

While Spain still has a top spot in the rankings, reaching over 100 million foreign tourists this year, countries like Turkey are growing in popularity amongst key markets like Germany and Britain. 

This could be in part due to the rising price of a holiday in Spain, with the average cost of a hotel room clocking in at €158 per night compared to €128 in Turkey, according to real estate business, Costar. 

Although the difference in price has been greater in previous years, there’s no doubt the panorama of tourists in Turkey is changing, with the number of German tourists doubling in the last three years. 

Meanwhile in Spain, Germany has been pushed out of its spot as the country’s second largest tourist market in favour of France. 

READ MORE: British tourists to Spain accounted for one in five in April as tourism boom continues

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

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