Spain broke its own tourism record for the third year running in 2025, welcoming 96.8 million international tourists — up 3.2% on the 93.8 million of 2024 — according to the National Statistics Institute's (INE) FRONTUR border survey. Those visitors spent a record €134.7 billion, 6.8% more than the year before, cementing Spain's position as the world's second most-visited country behind France. All figures below come from official sources — chiefly INE's FRONTUR, EGATUR and hotel occupancy surveys, UN Tourism and WTTC — and are the latest available as of 2026.
Key Spain tourism statistics
- Spain received a record 96.8 million international tourists in 2025, up 3.2% on 2024 (INE FRONTUR).
- International visitor spending reached €134.7 billion in 2025, up 6.8% from €126.1 billion in 2024 (INE EGATUR).
- The United Kingdom was again the largest source market with 19.1 million tourists (+3.7%), ahead of France (12.8 million) and Germany (12.0 million).
- Catalonia was the most-visited region with 20.1 million international tourists; the Balearics and the Canaries drew 15.7 million each.
- Hotel overnight stays hit an all-time high of 366.7 million in 2025, with average bed-place occupancy of 61.6% (INE hotel survey).
- Tourism contributes around 12.6% of Spanish GDP, as reported alongside the 2025 record figures (Spain in English).
- Spain remains the world's No. 2 destination for international arrivals, behind France's roughly 102 million (UN Tourism).
International arrivals: record after record
- Arrivals climbed from 85.2 million in 2023 to 93.8 million in 2024 and a record 96.8 million in 2025 — well above the pre-pandemic peak of 83.5 million in 2019 (INE FRONTUR).
- The recovery has been steep: arrivals collapsed to 18.9 million in 2020 before rebounding to 71.7 million in 2022 (INE FRONTUR).
- Growth is now decelerating by design as much as by demand — 2025's +3.2% compares with double-digit rises in 2023 and 2024, and the government says it wants a model "based on prioritising quality over quantity" (Spain in English).
- Even December set a monthly record, with 5.3 million arrivals (+0.4% year on year); the Canary Islands took 27.4% of them, underlining Spain's year-round winter-sun advantage (INE FRONTUR).
Spain vs the rest of the world
- UN Tourism estimates 1.52 billion international tourist trips were made worldwide in 2025 — roughly 60 million more than in 2024 (UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer).
- Europe remained the most-visited region with 793 million arrivals in 2025, up 4% on 2024 and 6% above 2019 (UN Tourism).
- France stayed world No. 1 with around 102 million arrivals; Spain's 96.8 million keeps it a clear second, ahead of the United States — see our France tourism statistics for the head-to-head.
- Among the world's top tourism earners, Spain's receipts grew about +7% in 2025, alongside strong growth in the UK and France (both +9%) and Türkiye (+6%) (UN Tourism).
- WTTC ranks Spain third globally for international visitor spending, behind only the US and China, and first in Europe (WTTC). Southern-European rival Greece is chasing the same sun-and-sea market — compare our Greece tourism statistics.
Source markets: Britain leads by a distance
- The UK sent 19.1 million tourists to Spain in 2025, up 3.7% — roughly one in five of all international arrivals (INE FRONTUR).
- British visitors were also the biggest spenders, parting with €23.65 billion (+4.9%), ahead of Germany (€15.83 billion) and France (€11.61 billion) (INE EGATUR).
- France supplied 12.8 million tourists (-1.0%, the only decline among the top markets) and Germany 12.0 million (+0.6%) (INE FRONTUR).
- Italy (5.7 million) and the Nordic countries (5.2 million) round out the top five source markets (INE FRONTUR).
- For context on how the UK's own inbound market compares, see our London tourism statistics.
Where the tourists go: Catalonia, the islands and the costas
- Catalonia was Spain's most-visited region in 2025 with 20.1 million international tourists (+0.6%) (INE FRONTUR).
- The Balearic Islands (15.7 million, +2.6%) and the Canary Islands (15.7 million, +3.0%) each hosted more international tourists than most entire European countries.
- Andalusia (14.5 million), the Valencian Community (12.4 million, +4.3%) and Madrid (9.1 million, +3.3%) complete the top six (INE FRONTUR).
- By spending, Catalonia led with €24.81 billion, narrowly ahead of the Canaries (€24.43 billion) and the Balearics (€21.06 billion) (INE EGATUR).
Visitor spending and the tourism economy
- Total international tourist expenditure reached €134.71 billion in 2025 — up 6.8% on 2024's €126.1 billion and roughly 24% above 2023's €108.8 billion (INE EGATUR).
- Spend is growing faster than arrivals: in December 2025 the average tourist spent €1,514 per trip (+5.0%) and €167 per day (+5.0%) (INE EGATUR).
- WTTC puts Spain's average international visitor spend at about US$1,344 — well above the European average of roughly US$1,068 — and forecasts international visitor spending (on its own methodology) to grow 5.3% in 2026 (WTTC).
- Tourism accounts for around 12.6% of Spain's GDP, making it a cornerstone of the economy (Spain in English).
- A growing share of those trips is booked online — see our online travel booking statistics for how the market is shifting.
Hotels and accommodation: record occupancy, rising prices
- Hotel overnight stays peaked at 366.7 million in 2025 (+1.0%), of which 244.9 million were by non-residents (+1.6%) (INE hotel occupancy survey).
- Average annual occupancy hit 61.6% of bed places, rising to 67.2% at weekends; Calvià in Mallorca posted the highest average occupancy at 81.0% (INE).
- Hotels earned an average daily rate (ADR) of €127.70 per occupied room and revenue per available room (RevPAR) of €89.70 in 2025, while hotel prices rose 5.1% on average (INE).
- By region, the Canaries took 26.0% of all non-resident hotel nights, the Balearics 23.8% and Catalonia 17.9% (INE).
- Non-hotel accommodation also set a record with 146.3 million overnight stays (+3.0%) — 52.1% in tourist apartments and 34.0% on campsites (INE non-hotel occupancy survey).
Overtourism, protests and tourist taxes
- Anti-tourism protests spread across Spain from April 2024 through summer 2025, with marches in Barcelona, the Balearics, the Canaries, San Sebastián and Málaga demanding limits on visitor numbers (overview; Forbes).
- Barcelona's tourist tax roughly doubled on 1 April 2026: the city's municipal surcharge rose to €5 per person per night, taking the total for a five-star hotel to €12 a night once the Generalitat's €7 regional rate is added. The surcharge rises €1 a year to €8 by 2029 — which would put five-star stays at €15 a night, among the highest visitor taxes in Europe. The levy applies to the first seven nights only (Agència Tributària de Catalunya; Hosteltur).
- The Balearic government has studied a peak-season "deterrent rate" of up to €15 per adult per night to ease summer overcrowding (VisaHQ news).
- The national government has ordered the removal of around 65,000 non-compliant Airbnb listings, and Barcelona plans to phase out short-term tourist rentals entirely by 2028 (VisaHQ news).
Sources
- INE — Tourist Movements at Borders (FRONTUR), December 2025 and Year 2025
- INE — Tourist Expenditure Survey (EGATUR), December 2025 and Year 2025
- INE — Hotel Tourism Short-Term Trends (HOS/HPI/IPHS), December 2025 and Year 2025
- INE — Non-hotel Tourist Accommodation Occupancy Survey, December 2025 and Year 2025
- UN Tourism — International tourist arrivals up 4% in 2025
- WTTC — Spain becomes Europe's high-value travel champion
- Spain in English — Spain sets new tourism record with 96.8 million foreign visitors in 2025
- Travel Market Report — Catalonia doubles tourist tax
- The Points Guy — Barcelona doubles its hotel tourist tax
- VisaHQ — Spain signals higher visitor levies from 2026
- Wikipedia — 2024–2025 anti-tourism protests in Spain
