Spain Tourism Statistics 2026: Facts & Trends

Last reviewed 7 September 2026. Every figure on this page was checked against the source named next to it; where two official series disagree, the difference is stated.

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 September 2026, including INE's January–July 2026 releases.

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).
2026 is running ahead again: 58.1 million international tourists arrived in January–July 2026 (+4.6%), spending €82.1 billion (+7.8%) (INE FRONTUR; INE EGATUR).

International arrivals: record after record

Column chart showing international tourist arrivals to Spain rising from 83.5 million in 2019 to a record 96.8 million in 2025 — International tourist arrivals to Spain, 2019–2025. Source: INE FRONTUR (December 2025 release, provisional).

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).
The record run has continued into 2026: July 2026 brought 11.5 million arrivals (+4.6%), with the Balearics alone taking 22.3% of them, and the January–July total reached 58.1 million (+4.6%). The UK (11.5 million, +4.6%) and France (7.2 million, +1.2%) grew, while Germany slipped 0.5% to 6.9 million (INE FRONTUR, July 2026).

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).
Momentum has cooled in 2026: UN Tourism counted 307 million international arrivals worldwide in the first quarter of 2026, only about 6 million more than a year earlier, with March almost flat (+0.4%) as the Middle East conflict weighed on travel (UN Tourism World Tourism Barometer, May 2026).
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

Horizontal bar chart of Spain's top source markets in 2025, led by the United Kingdom with 19.1 million tourists — Top source markets for international tourists to Spain, 2025. Source: INE FRONTUR (provisional).

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

Horizontal bar chart of international tourist arrivals by Spanish region in 2025, led by Catalonia with 20.1 million — International tourist arrivals by main destination region, 2025. Source: INE FRONTUR (provisional).

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).
That trend has strengthened in 2026: spending in July 2026 jumped 10.9% to €18.2 billion, with the average tourist spending €1,579 per trip (+5.9%) and €218 a day (+3.7%). January–July spending totalled €82.1 billion (+7.8%), with the UK accounting for 16.9%, Germany 11.3% and France 7.8% (INE EGATUR, July 2026).
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).
In July 2026 hotels logged 44.8 million overnight stays (+0.3%) at 71.1% bed occupancy, with an ADR of €156.90 (+6.8%) and RevPAR of €119.30 (+6.6%); January–July stays were up 1.5%, and hotel prices rose 5.9% year on year in July (INE hotel survey, July 2026).

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 — and returned in 2026: on 26 July 2026 the "Menys Turisme, Més Vida" march in Palma drew around 25,000 people according to police (70,000 according to organisers) (Última Hora; 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).
Border formalities have changed for British visitors too: the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since 10 April 2026, replacing passport stamps with biometric registration, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is expected to follow in the last quarter of 2026, with a transitional period before it becomes mandatory (European Commission; Fragomen).

Spain Tourism Statistics 2026: Record Arrivals, Spending & Trends

Key Spain tourism statistics

International arrivals: record after record

Spain vs the rest of the world

Source markets: Britain leads by a distance

Where the tourists go: Catalonia, the islands and the costas

Visitor spending and the tourism economy

Hotels and accommodation: record occupancy, rising prices

Overtourism, protests and tourist taxes

Sources

Related Articles

Luxury Hotels with Private Pools in Mallorca: 12 Selected and Ranked

12 Luxury Boutique Hotels in Mallorca: Selected and Ranked

11 Luxury Beachfront Hotels in Mallorca