SPAIN is on course to overtake France as the world’s most visited country by the end of the next decade, according to forecasts.
A report by Deloitte and Google predicted annual visitor numbers would climb to around 110 million by 2040 – ahead of France’s projected 105 million.
While France still tops the global rankings for now, Spain is rapidly narrowing the gap. The country welcomed a record 97 million international tourists in 2025, who spent an estimated €135 billion, according to Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The surge marks a remarkable recovery since the Covid pandemic, when Spain’s tourism industry came to an abrupt halt. Visitor numbers fell sharply from pre-pandemic highs of around 83 million in 2019 during the years of travel restrictions and lockdowns.
But by 2022, international arrivals had recovered to roughly 71 million as travel reopened and holiday demand returned across Europe.
Just a year later, Spain had exceeded its pre-pandemic record, welcoming around 85 million foreign tourists in 2023 — helped by strong demand from British, German and French travellers.
The growth continued into 2024, with visitor numbers rising again to around 94 million.
Experts say Spain’s tourism boom is no longer confined to traditional destinations such as the Costa del Sol or Balearic Islands, with cities including Valencia, Sevilla and Malaga seeing their popularity soar in recent years.
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However, the continued growth has also intensified debate around mass tourism.
In Barcelona, the Balearics and the Canary Islands, residents have raised concerns over overcrowding and stretched public services.
Housing has also become a contentious issue, with critics arguing that holiday rental platforms such as Airbnb have created housing shortages and contributed to rising rental and purchase costs in cities.
Authorities have already begun introducing stricter regulations. Barcelona has announced plans to remove more than 10,000 tourist apartment licences by 2028, while Spain’s government has pressured Airbnb to take down around 60,000 allegedly non-compliant listings.
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