Tourist arrivals in July exceed 10 million for the first time in history

The arrival of tourists grows 11.4% compared to a year ago and 2.6% compared to the record achieved in July 2019. Tourist spending in July amounted to 13,8 billion euro, which represents growth 16.4% compared to a year ago.

Listen to this article

In July, Spain surpassed the symbolic barrier of 10 million visitors this month for the first time in history. In July, 10.1 million tourists arrived in the country, 11.4% more than in the same period in 2022, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). Regarding the previous best historical data, that of July 2019, the growth has been 2.6%. Regarding tourist spending, last July it amounted to 13,8 billion euro, which represents a growth of 16.4% compared to the same month last year and 16% compared to 2019.

In the accumulated of the first seven months of the year, Spain has received 47.6 million arrivals, which represents a growth of 20.9% compared to last year. In this semester of 2023, total spending has been 59,8 billion euro, 25.3% more than in the same period last year and 14.7% above 2019.

For the acting Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Héctor Gómez, “for the first time we exceeded 10 million travellers in July, accompanied by extraordinary levels of tourist spending and which show the potential of Spain as a quality destination. attractive and sustainable for the world.

The head of Tourism has also highlighted “the magnificent numbers of tourist arrivals from the United States, which have not only recovered, as we have already observed throughout the summer, but are now above the best pre-pandemic figures.”

Average and daily spending grow

The average expenditure per tourist in the month of July stood at 1,367 euro, with an annual increase of 4.4%. For its part, average daily spending also increased by 9% compared to a year ago, up to 185 euro.

The average duration of trips by international tourists is 7.4 days, a figure similar to that of July 2022. The majority length of stay among tourists in July is four to seven nights, with more than 4, 8 million in this range, and an annual increase of 14.6%.

France and the United States, in record numbers

The United Kingdom is the main tourist issuing country in July, with more than 2 million tourists, which represents 20% of the total and an increase of 7% compared to July 2022.

France and Germany are the next countries with the most tourists visiting Spain. France contributes 1.6 million (11% more in annual rate) and Germany more than 1 million (4.8% more).

Among the rest of the countries of residence, the strong year-on-year growth in tourists from the United States (28.9% more than last July), Portugal (18.5%) and Italy (17.8%) stands out. In addition, arrivals from the US and France already exceed pre-pandemic figures for July 2019 and also those for the first seven months of the year. So far in 2023, 2.3 million Americans have arrived, compared to 1.9 million who did so in the same period in 2019. Regarding France, 6.4 million have arrived until July, 300,000 more travellers than in 2019.

Tourists arriving from the rest of the American countries – excluding the United States – have also experienced significant growth, increasing by 30.3% year-on-year. By country, and after the United States, it is Switzerland (with 11.1% more) and Ireland (with 8.3%) that have grown the most compared to a year ago.

Regarding their level of spending in July, the main countries are the United Kingdom (with 18.9% of the total), France (10.8%) and Germany (10.1%). Spending by tourists residing in the United Kingdom increases by 9.8% in annual rate, that of those from France by 21.8% and that of those from Germany by 4.5%.

Main destinations

In the accumulated of the first seven months of 2023, the communities that receive the most tourists are Catalonia (with almost 10.2 million and an increase of 27% compared to the same period in 2022), the Balearic Islands (with almost 8.1 million and an increase 9%) and the Canary Islands (with almost 7.9 million, 16.3% more).

Focusing on the month of July, the Balearic Islands are the main destination for tourists, with 24.1% of the total. They are followed by Catalonia (22.9%) and Andalusia (13.3%).

2.4 million tourists arrive in the Balearic Islands, 7.2% more than in July 2022. The main countries of residence of tourists from this community are the United Kingdom (26.2% of the total) and Germany (25.1%).

For its part, the number of tourists visiting Catalonia increases by 16.2% and exceeds 2.3 million. 21% come from France and 11.1% from the United Kingdom.

The third main destination community by number of tourists is Andalusia, with more than 1.3 million and an annual increase of 20.1%. The United Kingdom is the main country of origin (with 22.5% of the total), followed by the Nordic countries (with 12.4%).

In the rest of the Communities, the number of tourists increased by 18.4% in the Valencian Community, 6.1% in the Madrid Community and 4% in the Canary Islands

The post Tourist arrivals in July exceed 10 million for the first time in history appeared first on Spain Today – Breaking Spanish News, Sport, and Information.