Spain’s tourism industry continued to generate the most jobs in the country last month, with 331,500 more people in work compared to June last year.

The sector is the most sought after in Spain, with four out of 10 new jobs – 13% of the entire economy – found in this industry.

According to findings from Spain’s Tourism Institute, Turespana, employment exceeded 2.6 million in June, the second highest level recorded for the country, Schengen Visa Info reports.

In regard to affiliates associated with tourism activities, 2.6 million were recorded just in June, indicating a year-on-year 14.5% rise and 331,555 new jobs generated.

“The rate of job creation in tourist activities in the first half of the year has been historic with an average of 53,000 new jobs per month, which indicates that the vaccination process, together with the ERTES mechanism, and the social shield approved by the government to protect employment and companies during the worst moments of the pandemic, is proving to be an effective tool for the recovery of the tourism sector,” Reyes Maroto from the Tourism Ministry said.

Moreover, employment has surged across the entire sector, with the hotel industry gaining 238,422 workers - 149,995 being within food and beverage services and 88,427 in accommodation services, the findings showed.

Other tourism activities reported a rise of 87,649 workers, whilst travel agencies registered a further 5,484 more employees compared to previous years.
The highest results were registered in Andalucía, Catalonia, the Valencian Community, the Balearic Islands, the Community of Madrid, and the Canary Islands.

In addition, according to statistics from Spain’s Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, international arrivals in June hit 85.5% of pre-pandemic levels. International passenger numbers also rose by three times compared to the same time last year.