Madrid: A record 42.5 million foreign tourists visited Spain in the first half of the year, marking a 13.3 per cent increase compared to the same period in 2023, according to data published by the Spanish Statistical Office (INE) on Friday.
Spending by international visitors also hit a new high, reaching 55.5 billion euros (60.13 billion US dollars) in first half of the year, up 20.6 per cent from the same period last year.
In 2023, Spain hosted more than 85 million tourists, making it the world’s second most visited country behind France. These tourists contributed 108.7 billion euros to the economy, accounting for 12.8 per cent of the country’s GDP.
In June, INE reported 9.3 million international visitors, a year-on-year increase of 12.1 per cent. They spent 12.3 billion euros, 16.6 per cent more than the same period last year, Xinhua news agency reported.
On average, each international visitor spent 1,329 euros in June during their stay, while their daily spending reached 196 euros. A majority of tourists, about 4.7 million, stayed in Spain over four to seven nights. This figure increased by 10 percent compared to the previous year.
The United Kingdom led the number of tourists with 2.1 million visitors in June, followed by Germany with 1.1 million and France with 1 million. These three countries remained the primary source markets for visitors to Spain in June.
INE data also showed that 337,446 Chinese tourists visited Spain in the first half of the year, close to the total of 382,207 in 2023.
A recent study by the Spanish Tourism Institute highlighted positive expectations in Spain for long-haul markets like China. It indicates that Chinese tourists have a strong interest in traveling to Spain and possess an increasingly in-depth knowledge of Spanish destinations and tourism services.
The recovery of direct connectivity with Spain facilitates the arrival of Chinese tourists, the study noted, adding that Spain offers a wide and diverse cultural, urban and gastronomic tourism experiences to attract the Chinese market.
–IANS