Spain welcomed over 16.1 million international tourists in the first quarter of the year, marking a 17.7% increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to the latest data released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

These tourists spent €21.948 billion in Spain between January and March, which is a 27.2% increase, making the first quarter of the year a “historic” period for tourism, including Easter Week.

“International tourist arrivals and tourist spending in Spain experienced notable growth in March, marking the end of a historic first quarter of the year for tourism,” stated the Ministry of Industry and Tourism.

Indeed, Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, stressed that “this first quarter of the year - traditionally considered the low season in the past - has turned out to be the best on record, with an outstanding growth in spending at the destination and in the average spending of international tourists, which perfectly reflects the change in the tourism model.”

Additionally, in March, Spain welcomed 6.3 million international tourists, a 21% increase compared to the previous year, according to statistics from surveys on foreign traveller arrivals (Frontur) and associated spending (Egatur).  

Tourist expenditure for this month also reached record levels, with foreign visitors spending €8.652 billion, representing a growth of 29.7% compared to March of the previous year.

Moreover, in March, the average spending per tourist was €1,363, a 7.3% increase from last year, while daily spending reached €180, up by 5.4% compared to the previous year.

The majority of tourists who visited Spain in March were from the United Kingdom, totalling more than 1.2 million tourists, an increase of 13.3% compared to 2023. There were also 909,031 German tourists, a 28.7% increase, and 791,648 French tourists, a 31.8% rise.

Furthermore, in the first quarter, the UK led the way with almost 3 million tourists, signalling a 15.1% increase, followed by Germany with almost 2.1 million tourists, showing a 19.5% increase, and France with almost 2 million tourists, indicating a 15.7% rise.