SPAIN recorded its busiest-ever single month for foreign tourists in August, welcoming 11.3 million people.
That was a 2.9% increase on August last year with close to a fifth coming from the United Kingdom.
August’s rise was more than the previous three months which fell below the 2% mark.
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That has been put down to inflation and stagnant economies in countries like Germany and France that bring a lot of tourists into Spain.
August’s visitor breakdown put the UK at the top with 2.2 million(up 4.4% on last year) and a cumulative rise so far in 2025 of 2.2 million.
The German market improved to 4.4% increase but only 2% for the first eight months of the year.
France fell sharply in August- down by 5.1% and a cumulative rise of just 0.1% this year.
Almost 66.8 million foreign tourists visited Spain in the first eight months of 2025, another record that surpassed last year’s equivalent figure by 3.9% according to the National Statistics Institute.
94 million visitors were recorded last year and that total is set to be beaten but is likely to fall short of the magic 100 million mark.
Foreign travellers spent 6.7% more in August compared to the same period a year ago, reaching €16.3 billion and €92.4 billion across the year.
The average August expenditure per tourist was €1,457 euros with an annual increase of 3.6%, while the average daily spend grew by 4.9%, to €198.
There were some interesting expenditure trends among the top three spending countries- the UK, France and Germany, with total increases of 3.8%, 1.4% and 10%, respectively.
British tourists reduced their average expenditure during August while French visitors cut the length of their stay.
Accommodation costs dominated, accounting for 20.6% of total expenditure- up 6.1% on the same month last year.
The Balearic Islands welcomed the most international tourists in August with 2.53 million people followed by Catalunya (2.18 million- down by 4.3% on last year) and Andalucia(1.71 million- up by 7.6%).
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