Spain has fully recovered the number of international tourists in April, even surpassing those by 18.5 per cent compared to 2022 levels, another 1.2 per cent more than in pre-pandemic levels, the National Statistics Institute (INE) has revealed.
In a press release, INE points out that the number of international tourists to Spain reached 7.2 million in April while spending totalled €8.4 billion – 22.7 per cent more than in 2022 and 20.2 per cent more than in 2019, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“These are extraordinary data that demonstrate, once again, that Spain is at the forefront of world tourism, that the tourist recovery is complete and that the Government’s policies work, both the related to specialized and quality employment such as aid for the modernization of the sector, are bearing fruit,” Tourism Minister, Héctor Gómez said.
Average spending per tourist was €1,172 – 3.6 per cent more than in 2022, while the average daily spending per tourist also increased by 11.6 per cent in April, reaching €173.
In general, the number of days spent by international tourists during their trip in April was 6.8 days, which didn’t change much from 2022, while the majority of tourists (3.7 million) stayed in Spain for four to seven days, representing 18.3 per cent increase for travellers choosing this length for their trip.
Number of American Arrivals Sky Rocketed in April
About 60.7 per cent more tourists came from the United States in April, representing the most evident increase among international tourists for this month, while Americans are followed by Italians and Portuguese, with 29 and 29.6 per cent more tourists than in 2022.
Since the beginning of the year, 21 million arrivals were recorded in Spain – 32.4 per cent more than in 2022, and visitors from the US have increased by 75.4 per cent during this period.
However, the main tourist source to Spain remains the United Kingdom, with 1.4 million tourists in April – 8.7 per cent more than in 2022, while France and Germany follow close, with around one million visitors from each country picking Spain for their vacation.
Catalonia – Main Visited Destination for April
1.5 million tourists visited Catalonia in April, representing the stay destination for 21.3 per cent of the total arrivals, while the number of tourists rose by 33 per cent compared to 2022. Frenchmen and Americans were the main nationality groups among tourists, representing 25 and 10.1 per cent of all arrivals, respectively.
The Balearic Islands and Canary Islands were second and third pics, receiving 1.2 million tourists each, while the country of origin for tourists varied between the countries, with Germans visiting the Balearic Islands more (39.7 per cent of all tourists being German) and Brits accounting for 36.3 per cent of all arrivals in the Canary Islands.