Alex Trelinski
SPAIN’S tourist industry growth has slowed down significantly according to sector group Exceltur which claims it is no longer the ‘main driver of the country’s economy’.
It says weaker spending from European and American holidaymakers which lead to a lower contribution this year to the country’s economy.
The comments come in a year where foreign tourist numbers have risen to record levels along with all-time high overseas passenger figures at Spain’s airports.
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Some visitors from countries like France and Germany have reduced their spending levels in Spain while that was offset to some extent by UK, Polish, and Chinese tourists.
Despite the push-back, Exceltur still expects all tourism-related activity in the country to grow by 2.8% in 2025, down from a 3.3% prediction made in July.
Last year, the tourism sector reported a 5.5% expansion.
Exceltur estimated that the tourism industry will contribute 13.1% to Spain’s GDP this year, below its initial estimate of 13.5%.
Exceltur Vice President, Oscar Perelli, said “Tourism is no longer the main driver of the Spanish economy,”
He added that tourism will no longer far exceed Spain’s expected economic growth of 2.6%.
Sales across hotels, airlines, restaurants, and other tourism-related businesses rose by 2.8% during the high summer season.
But that was a significant drop from the 6.3% growth recorded during the same period last.year.
In the fourth quarter of 2025, Exceltur expects sales to rise by 2%.
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