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He Tourism continues to be the driving force of The Spanish Economy. In particular, the country received more than 16.1 million international tourist arrivals in the first three months of this year, which is 17.7% more than the same period in 2023 and broke a historic record in the first quarter, according to data released this Friday. By National Institute of Statistics (INE).
Therefore, tourism continues to be one of the main drivers of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Thus, foreign tourists spent in Spain 21,948 million Euros Between January and March, the 27.2% increase ended the first quarter of the year as a “historic” period for tourism, including this year. Easter.
“International tourist arrivals and Expenditure on tourism “In Spain they achieved significant growth in March, culminating in a historic first quarter for tourism,” the Ministry of Industry and Tourism said.
In this regard, the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hireu“The first quarter of the year, traditionally considered a low season in the past, Best of our history seriesPerfectly captures the shift in the tourism model, with significant growth in average spending by both destination and international tourists.
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Tourism in the Spanish economy
They visited Spain in March 6.3 million tourists International flights are 21% higher than in the third month of 2023, as can be seen from the statistical analysis of foreign passenger arrivals (broken) and this Associated cost (It is necessary) was released this Friday, revealing that the tourism spending record has been broken again this month.
Also, foreign visitors 8,652 million Euros contributedThis represents a growth of 29.7% compared to March last year.
Especially, every tourist An average of 1,363 euros was spent In March, it was 7.3% higher than last year, and the cost per day also reflected this growth, reaching 180 euros, an increase of 5.4% year-on-year.
Stays reached an average of 7.6 days, a slight increase compared to data for the third month of last year.
United Kingdom It is the main country of residence for tourists who came to Spain last March with more than 1.2 million tourists and an increase of 13.3% compared to 2023. Germany 909,031 tourist arrivals (up 28.7%) and France 791,648 tourists (up 31.8%).
In the first quarter, the United Kingdom led the way with almost 3 million and a 15.1% increase, followed by Germany (with almost 2.1 million and a 19.5% increase) and France (almost 2 million, 15.7% more. )
Most of the tourists who came to Spain last March, about 4 million, chose it Hotel companies For accommodation, this represents a 17.5% increase. Compared to these, another 866,489 people opted for rental housing, an increase of more than 55.8% in this case.
Most tourists visited Spain in March, 4.8 million Without tourist packageAnother 1.6 million arrived with package tours, up 28.4%, up 18.7%.
through communities, Canary Islands It accounted for 24.3% of total arrivals in March, followed by Catalonia (21,2%) Y Andalusia (15.1%), according to data from the Spanish Institute of Statistics.
In the first three months of 2024, the communities that received the most tourists were:
- Canary Islands: 4.3 million and an increase of 14.3% compared to the same period in 2023
- Catalonia: 3.4 million and an increase of 20.7%
- Andalusia: 2.4 million, up 18.7%
The top emitters in terms of spending volume in March were the United Kingdom (15.8% of the total), Germany (14%) and Nordic countries (8.6%).
Spending by tourists residing in the United Kingdom increased by 17.8% year-on-year, compared to 45.1% from Germany and 27.6% from Nordic countries.
In the first three months of 2024, the United Kingdom is the country with the highest spending (16.4% of the total). They are followed by Germany (12.7%) and the Nordic countries (8.6%).
Through games, the Cost of operations It was the main commodity with an increase of 21% in total expenditure and 26.2% compared to the same month in 2023. The following items accounted for spending on international transportation and accommodation, accounting for 20.6% and 16.9% of the total, respectively. The former increased by 30.5% and the latter by 26%.
Tourists to Spain on reason for travel Inactivity They made up 81.5% of total spending in March, 30.2% more than in 2023.
The autonomous communities that led spending in March were the Canary Islands (26.9% of the total), Catalonia (17.3%) and Andalusia (16.9%). Tourism spending increased by 20.9% year-on-year in the Canary Islands, 38.1% in Catalonia and 47.6% in Andalusia.
In the first three months of 2024, the Canary Islands (29.7% of the total), Catalonia (16.6%) and the Community of Madrid (15.5%) are the communities with the highest spending, according to data from INE.
