spain tourism income percentage

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• Tourism contribution to Spanish GDP 2006-2023

Holidaymakers in Spain

Covid-19 impact on the spanish tourism industry, contribution of the tourism sector to the gross domestic product in spain from 2006 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 (in billion euros).

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January 2023

2006 to 2022

nominal GDP in current prices

*Forecast. Figures were rounded.

Other statistics on the topic Travel and tourism in Spain

• Inbound tourism volume in Spain 2023, by origin
• Most visited cities in Spain 2022

Leisure Travel

• Pilgrims on the Way of Saint James 2011-2022
• Inbound visitors in Spain 2000-2023

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Statistics on " Travel and tourism in Spain "

• Leading European countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021
• Tourism sector as share of GDP in Spain 2010-2021
• Monthly growth rate of tourism GDP in Spain 2022
• Tourism employment in Spain 2015-2021
• Tourism employment in Spain Q4 2022, by industry
• International tourism spending in Spain 2012-2022
• Domestic trips in Spain 2015-2022
• Domestic trips in Spain 2022, by destination
• Domestic tourism spending in Spain 2015-2022
• Share of travel and tourism spending in Spain 2022, by traveler origin
• Inbound tourism volume in Spain 2023, by travel reason
• Domestic trips in Spain 2022, by travel reason
• Share of travel and tourism spending in Spain 2022, by purpose
• Inbound trips for cultural purposes to Spain 2010-2022
• Number of enotourists in Spain 2008-2022
• Number of skiers and snowboarders in Spain 2010-2022
• Tourism premises in Spain 2015-2021
• Share of tourism companies in Spain 2021, by size
• Main hotel groups in Spain FY2021, by sales revenue
• Main passenger airlines in Spain 2022
• Main travel agencies in Spain FY2021, by sales revenue
• Main restaurants and food stall companies in Spain FY2021, by sales revenue
• Ecotourism businesses' average revenue in Spain 2022, by type
• Main coastal destinations in Spain 2022, by number of hotel guests
• Attendance to Spanish National Heritage sites 2022
• Attendance to Spanish national parks 2022
• Cruise ship calls at Spanish ports 2022, by authority
• Enotourism destination areas in Spain 2022, by region
• Quarterly online revenue of accommodation businesses in Spain 2014-2022
• Quarterly online revenue of travel agencies & tours operators in Spain 2014-2022
• Airbnb revenue in Spain 2015-2020
• Willingness to purchase tourism services online in Spain 2019-2022
• Average spend on tourism services booked online in Spain 2018-2022
• Hotel / private accommodation online bookings by brand in Spain 2023

Other statistics that may interest you Travel and tourism in Spain

• Premium Statistic Leading European countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index 2021
• Premium Statistic Tourism contribution to Spanish GDP 2006-2023
• Premium Statistic Tourism sector as share of GDP in Spain 2010-2021
• Premium Statistic Monthly growth rate of tourism GDP in Spain 2022
• Premium Statistic Tourism employment in Spain 2015-2021
• Premium Statistic Tourism employment in Spain Q4 2022, by industry

Tourism volume and expenditures

• Premium Statistic Inbound visitors in Spain 2000-2023
• Premium Statistic Inbound tourism volume in Spain 2023, by origin
• Premium Statistic International tourism spending in Spain 2012-2022
• Premium Statistic Domestic trips in Spain 2015-2022
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• Premium Statistic Domestic tourism spending in Spain 2015-2022
• Basic Statistic Share of travel and tourism spending in Spain 2022, by traveler origin
• Premium Statistic Inbound tourism volume in Spain 2023, by travel reason
• Premium Statistic Domestic trips in Spain 2022, by travel reason
• Basic Statistic Share of travel and tourism spending in Spain 2022, by purpose
• Premium Statistic Inbound trips for cultural purposes to Spain 2010-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of enotourists in Spain 2008-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of skiers and snowboarders in Spain 2010-2022
• Premium Statistic Pilgrims on the Way of Saint James 2011-2022
• Premium Statistic Tourism premises in Spain 2015-2021
• Premium Statistic Share of tourism companies in Spain 2021, by size
• Premium Statistic Main hotel groups in Spain FY2021, by sales revenue
• Premium Statistic Main passenger airlines in Spain 2022
• Premium Statistic Main travel agencies in Spain FY2021, by sales revenue
• Premium Statistic Main restaurants and food stall companies in Spain FY2021, by sales revenue
• Premium Statistic Ecotourism businesses' average revenue in Spain 2022, by type

Main destinations

• Premium Statistic Main coastal destinations in Spain 2022, by number of hotel guests
• Premium Statistic Most visited cities in Spain 2022
• Premium Statistic Attendance to Spanish National Heritage sites 2022
• Premium Statistic Attendance to Spanish national parks 2022
• Premium Statistic Cruise ship calls at Spanish ports 2022, by authority
• Premium Statistic Enotourism destination areas in Spain 2022, by region

Online travel market

• Premium Statistic Quarterly online revenue of accommodation businesses in Spain 2014-2022
• Premium Statistic Quarterly online revenue of travel agencies & tours operators in Spain 2014-2022
• Premium Statistic Airbnb revenue in Spain 2015-2020
• Premium Statistic Willingness to purchase tourism services online in Spain 2019-2022
• Premium Statistic Average spend on tourism services booked online in Spain 2018-2022
• Premium Statistic Hotel / private accommodation online bookings by brand in Spain 2023

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• Travel and tourism's contribution to GDP in Denmark 2017, by type
• Travel and tourism's total contribution to GDP in Russia 2019-2023
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• Belize: internal travel and tourism consumption 2010-2019
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• Internal tourism consumption in Argentina 2010-2019
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• Number of rooms in tourist accommodations in Vietnam 2019-2023
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• Hotel Industry and Tourism

Spanish Tourism Satellite Account. Latest data

Latest press releases.

Tourism activity reached 155,946 million euros in 2022, 11.6% of GDP, which was 3.9 points more than in 2021. The characteristic branches of tourism generated more than 1.9 million jobs, 9.3% of total employment.

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• Nota informativa. Revisión Estadística 2024 de las Cuentas Nacionales
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Most popular tables

Did you know....

The Spanish Tourism Satellite Account (STSA) is a summary statistic composed of a set of accounts and tables, based on the methodological principles of national accounts and presenting the different economic parameters of tourism in Spain, for a given reference date. The current base is 2010.

It essentially consists of three types of components:

• - Supply accounts and tables, in which an attempt is made to characterise the production and cost structures of tourism companies.
• - Demand tables which intend to characterise, from an economic point of view, the different types of tourists, national tourism compared with international, the types of goods and services demanded, etc.
• - Tables that interrelate supply and demand, which facilitates obtaining some integrated measurements of the contribution of tourism to the economy via variables such as GDP, production or employment.

Spain's 2023 tourism revenue seen 5% higher than before pandemic

• Medium Text

• 2022 tourism revenues were 2.1% below 2019 level
• 2023 forecast could see tourism account for 12.2% of GDP

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Reporting by Inti Landauro and Corina Pons Editing by Kirsten Donovan and Mark Potter

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Spain Tourism Revenue

• Spain's Tourism Revenue reached 6 USD bn in Jan 2024, compared with 6 USD bn in the previous month
• Spain's Tourism Revenue data is updated monthly, available from Jan 1993 to Jan 2024
• The data reached an all-time high of 11,937 USD mn in Jul 2023 and a record low of 0 USD mn in May 2020

View Spain's Tourism Revenue from Jan 1993 to Jan 2024 in the chart:

What was Spain's Tourism Revenue in Jan 2024?

Spain's Tourism Revenue reached 6 USD bn in Jan 2024, compared with 6 USD bn in the previous month See the table below for more data.

Tourism Revenue by Country Comparison

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Spain Tourism Revenues

Tourism revenues in spain decreased to 5050 eur million in january from 5676 eur million in december of 2023. tourism revenues in spain averaged 3586.48 eur million from 1993 until 2024, reaching an all time high of 10934.00 eur million in august of 2023 and a record low of 0.00 eur million in april of 2020. source: bank of spain,   markets,   gdp,   labour,   prices,   money,   trade,   government,   business,   consumer,   housing,   taxes,   energy,   health,   climate.

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Spain saw full recovery of tourism in 2022, with income higher than pre-Covid level

Spain’s income from tourism activity surged in 2022, surpassing levels last seen before the Covid-19 pandemic , the Exceltur tourism association said on Tuesday.

The association, an ‘Alliance for Excellency in Tourism’ formed by the chairmen of 33 leading Spanish tourist groups, said in a report that last year’s tourism earnings reached an estimated €159 billion , an increase of 1.4% on 2019, beating expectations notably in the second half, marking ‘the full recovery of tourism activity in Spain’.

Although the figures showed the tourism sector accounted for 12.2% of the Spanish economy last year, it remained slightly lower than the 12.6% registered in 2019.

‘In contrast to the many predictions to the contrary, which were proved wrong during the second half, 2022 marked the full recovery of tourism activity in Spain,’ it said in a statement .

After a ‘dazzling surge in tourist numbers’ last summer, Spain had expressed confidence it would achieve a full recovery in the hope of regaining its pre-pandemic status as the world’s second-favourite holiday destination behind France.

The recovery was largely driven by national tourism which saw a ‘significant increase … that started in April’.

Although the number of foreign visitors was 14.6% lower than in 2019, spending only fell by 3.8% between January and November, with the lower numbers offset by longer stays and a trend towards buying premium tourist products.

The most popular regions for foreign visitors were the sunny beaches of the Balearic Islands , the Canary Islands and Andalusia .

Tourism is a strategic sector for Spain, and it had been the second most visited country in the world in  2019 , receiving  83.7m visitors  during the full year. The number of foreign tourists who visited during  2020 , however, fell by over  80%  to  19 million , the lowest figure since  1969 . 

31.1 million international tourists visited Spain during 2021 . The Spanish government had hoped to see 45 million foreign visitors in 2021, around half the pre-pandemic figure.

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How strong is Spain’s tourism industry?

Spanish tourism has made a strong start to 2023. International tourist arrivals have returned to the levels of 2019 while records have been broken by international tourism expenditure. Domestic tourism has been growing since 2022 but with less momentum due to a combination of reduced purchasing power and greater outbound travel. Although tourism is currently one of the drivers of the Spanish economy, several headwinds are likely to appear in the coming quarters. The complicated macroeconomic outlook in the countries of origin of inbound tourists, the reactivation of more distant destinations for European and Spanish tourists, and competition from more economical destinations point to a slowdown in Spain’s tourism industry as we approach 2024.

In the first half of 2023, tourism strengthened its position as one of the drivers of the Spanish economy, beating the records set in 2019. Tourism has completed its recovery after a total standstill in 2020, insufficient improvement in 2021 and a revival in 2022. The activity indicators produced by the National Statistics Office show that, in 2023, real tourism demand (excluding the effect of prices) exceeded that of 2019, supported by a strong recovery in international tourism. Overnight stays in hotel and non-hotel accommodation in the first four months of 2023 exceeded the number recorded for the same period in 2019 by 2.2%. This excellent figure is further consolidated by the strength of domestic tourism, which was 7.3% above its 2019 figure, and by a strong recovery in international tourism, just 0.5% below its 2019 level.

Tourism demand indicators   

Change over the same month in 2019, international tourism, domestic tourism.

Expenditure by international and domestic tourists is performing even better. Significant price increases in 2022 and 2023 have pushed up tourism expenditure to record levels in 2023, 1 posting figures 12% higher than in 2019 in the first five months of 2023. The main reason for this increase in tourism expenditure is the rise in prices which, according to CPI data for the services most closely linked to tourism, in May were 15% higher than the 2019 prices. The rise in accommodation prices has been particularly steep, accumulating an increase of 24% over the same period.

The trends in international tourist arrivals are considerably heterogeneous, however. There has been a spectacular recovery in tourism from the Americas which, in May 2023, was 32% above its May 2019 level, while a more modest recovery was recorded in the more traditional markets. In particular, tourism from the United Kingdom is showing signs of weakness and was still 7.4% below its 2019 level in the first five months of 2023.

• 1. See the article «The factors that lie behind tourism’s price rises» in this Report for more details on the increases.

Tourism from the United Kingdom is showing signs of weakness and was still 7.4% below its 2019 level in the first five months of 2023

Tourist arrivals by country/region

The indicators regarding people’s interest in travelling to Spain reflect the complexity of the international macroeconomic situation at the moment. In June, interest in travelling to Spain fell sharply in the United Kingdom to 12.5% below its benchmark level. The country’s poor macroeconomic performance, sharply rising interest rates and the weakness of the pound sterling have all eroded the disposable income of the British people and, with it, the ability of households to spend on tourism. In addition, data from other competing destinations such as Turkey, Greece and Portugal suggest they’re becoming more competitive in attracting British demand, a factor that’s acting as an additional brake.

In contrast, EU tourists’ interest in travelling to Spain is holding up remarkably well and, in the first five months of 2023, was 4.6% above its benchmark. When we break down these EU figures by country, the Italians and Dutch appear to be particularly interested in travelling to Spain and are 3.3% and 15.2% above their benchmark rates, respectively. However, the indicators for France and especially Germany look weaker, reflecting a relatively more fragile macroeconomic situation.

Looking at tourists from the US, we can see that interest in travelling to Spain is still moving back towards its pre-pandemic level, suggesting very good arrival figures for the summer. The interest indicator also points to strong growth in Japanese interest in travelling to Spain, standing at 22.6% above its benchmark level. These data are consistent with the significant rise in tourism from the Americas and Asia observed in recent months.

Weekly searches in Google for trips to Spain

Despite the strength of Spain’s tourism industry observed in the first few months of 2023, and which we expect to continue throughout the summer, there are some headwinds gathering on the horizon that will slow down this growth in tourism later on in the year and particularly in 2024.

The first factor of note is the competition from markets with lower prices than Spain. Using Eurocontrol data, we’ve observed a considerable rise in flights to Morocco and Turkey, two destinations with very competitive prices. The favourable trend in these competitors’ volumes of tourism is particularly understandable given Europe’s declining incomes in real terms in 2022 and 2023 due to inflation. In other words, falling European wages are a factor that will limit tourism growth in Spain in late 2023 and 2024. We should remember that, before the pandemic, Turkey, Tunisia, Egypt and Morocco were already beginning to emerge as major competitors for Spain’s tourism industry in the Mediterranean. 2

In contrast to the data from Morocco and Turkey, we believe that the positive records posted by Greece and Portugal are moderately encouraging for Spanish tourism. Although Greece and Portugal are markets that compete with Spain, there is also a high correlation between them all (traditionally, when other EU destinations grow, so does Spain). Therefore the fact that demand in both countries is looking strong indicates good inertia for demand in the domestic market.

• 2. See the article «The fight for international tourism in the Mediterranean» in the Tourism Sector Report for the first half of 2020.

Another of the factors we’ve identified that limit growth is related to post-pandemic travel. As travel restrictions were lifted throughout 2021 and 2022, tourism recovered strongly but, in the first instance, there was a preference for relatively close destinations. However, foreign travel and long-haul destinations are now gaining in strength, a trend which could pose an additional risk for Spain’s domestic tourism as it might lose part of the demand it had gained, albeit under extraordinary circumstances due to the restrictions on international travel.

With the lifting of post-pandemic restrictions, tourism recovered strongly but, in the first instance, there was a preference for relatively close destinations

As we can see in the chart below, according to payments with CaixaBank cards abroad, tourism expenditure by Spaniards recorded a dramatic drop in 2020 (–61% in the cumulative period from April to December) and it has undergone a mixed and bumpy recovery since then. In 2023 there are signs of an almost total recovery in foreign travel to Europe. This contrasts with longer-haul destinations, such as Southeast Asia and Latin America, where we can see that expenditure in these destinations is still well below 2019 levels. Specifically, last May expenditure in these destinations was, respectively, 51% and 45% below the same month in 2019. Looking ahead to the coming months, we expect to see an upturn in this type of expenditure as international travel by Spaniards gets back to normal.

Tourism expenditure by Spaniards abroad

Despite these headwinds, a review of the industry’s key indicators still results in a relatively positive scenario for 2023, for which we predict considerable growth. We expect these headwinds to come into play mainly towards the end of 2023 and in 2024, when we believe that tourism GDP growth will still be positive but more moderate due to the complex macroeconomic outlook in two of Spain’s major tourist inbound countries (the UK and Germany), as well as greater price competition from other destinations in the Mediterranean and the risk of both domestic and European tourism returning to longer-haul destinations. Even so, two factors will support tourism towards the end of 2023 and in 2024: the recovery in real wages in Spain and Europe plus the proven resilience of tourism demand from Europe in combination with a recovery in demand from long-haul markets such as Asia.

Trends in nominal and real tourism GDP

Taking into account the current robust situation, the counteracting factors we’ve already noted and also the growth levers still in play, our forecast for tourism GDP is that, in real terms, year-on-year growth of 6.5% will be achieved in 2023, this being 4.1% above the 2019 level. For 2024 we predict more moderate growth of 1.5%, placing tourism GDP at 5.7% above its 2019 level.

By country of origin, we expect domestic demand to grow by 0.4% in 2023, posting a lower growth margin compared with 2022 when it had already regained its 2019 level. International arrivals are likely to grow by 11% and, for the first time after the onset of the pandemic, will regain their 2019 levels. Looking ahead to 2024, we expect international tourism to be the sector’s main driver of growth, supported by the recovery in long-haul tourism.

Notably, in nominal terms, the strong upturn seen in tourism’s prices in 2023 will bring nominal tourism GDP to a level 17% higher than in 2019. However, in 2024 we expect this growth in prices to slow down, as in the rest of the economy. We therefore predict 4.5% growth in tourism-related GDP in nominal terms.

Despite the complex macroeconomic situation, our belief is that the tourism industry will continue to grow and remain a key player in the Spanish economy and, in light of the particularly sharp rise in the sector’s revenue, an important contributor to the growth of the surplus in Spain’s balance of trade in goods and services.

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Spain Sets Tourism Record With Over 85 Billion Visitors in 2023

P er the National Statistics Institute, 85.1 million visitors traveled to Spain in 2023, a 19 percent increase from the prior year.

According to The Associated Press , the number of foreign visitors last year surpassed the 83.5 million visiting Spain in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic brought a halt to most leisure travel .

The U.K., France and Germany top the list as the three countries who sent the highest number of tourists to Spain.

The National Statistics Institute revealed that Spain’s income from foreign tourists reached 108.7 billion euros ($117 billion) in 2023, an increase of 25 percent from the previous year. Tourism accounts for 12 percent of the country’s gross domestic product.

Top destinations for travelers to Spain included the northeastern region of Catalonia, including Barcelona, followed by the Balearic Islands in the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands off North Africa.  

For many years, France, Spain and the United States have been the world’s three top tourist destinations.

Tourism in Spain

The most popular destinations in spain, development of the tourism sector in spain from 1995 to 2021.

Revenues from tourism

All data for Spain in detail

Spain’s tourism renaissance will drive economic growth this year

The recovery of the tourism sector in Spain is expected to continue, putting the industry at the centre of economic growth this year. However, due to macroeconomic uncertainty, high price pressure in the sector and lagging long-haul travel, it may take until 2024 for the number of international visitors to return to pre-pandemic levels

Spain's tourism revival expected to continue despite macroeconomic challenges

Despite macroeconomic challenges, Spain's tourism sector rebounded strongly in 2022. The country saw a remarkable increase in the number of international visitors, rising by 130% from 31.2 million in 2021 to 71.6 million in 2022, showing a strong appetite to travel again after two years of strict travel restrictions. Although disposable income was under severe pressure in many European countries last year, consumers refused to cut back on their travel spending. That being said, the number of international tourists entering Spain still remained 14% below pre-pandemic levels, proving that there is still a long way to go to full recovery.

Number of international visitors entering Spain, in absolute values and as % of 2019 levels

Challenges on the horizon: factors hindering the growth of international tourism in spain.

There are several factors that could hamper the growth of international tourism. One is that for Spain's main source countries, the UK and Germany, which accounted for 22% and 13% of international visitors in 2019 respectively, the economic outlook looks bleak. In the UK, the cost-of-living crisis has hit hard and we expect the UK economy to grow by only 0.2% this year. Meanwhile, the German economy has contracted over the past two quarters and is officially in a technical recession. We expect economic growth in Germany to stagnate this year. While the sharp fall in purchasing power is not currently deterring Europeans from travelling, it could cause price-sensitive travellers to swap Spain for cheaper destinations.

Unfavourable exchange rates are also encouraging British travellers to choose Turkey over southern European countries including Spain. A recent report by the European Travel Commission showed that Turkey had 69% more arrivals from the UK in the first quarter of this year than in 2019, while the number of arrivals in Spain was lower than in 2019. This shift in preference can be attributed to the significant price difference. The depreciation of sterling against the euro, combined with the continued devaluation of the Turkish lira against the euro, has made travelling to Turkey much more affordable for British tourists than visiting southern European countries such as Spain.

Another factor hampering recovery is the current travel restrictions on Russian travellers. In 2019, Spain welcomed 1.3 million visitors from Russia, accounting for about 1.6% of total tourist arrivals. This particular group of visitors will be completely absent in 2023. And Spain will not get a boost from Chinese tourism this year either. Although Chinese tourists are eager to travel again, they are favouring domestic trips or visits to neighbouring countries. The number of Chinese tourists visiting Spain was relatively modest even before the pandemic: about one million Chinese tourists travelled to Spain in 2019, which was only 1.3% of the total number of visitors that year.

Business travel to Spain bounces back to pre-pandemic levels

Spain is witnessing a remarkable recovery in business travel after the sharp decline during the pandemic. In the first quarter of 2023, the number of international business travellers increased by 48% compared to the same period last year, returning to pre-pandemic levels. Business travellers represent a significant proportion of the total number of visitors. In 2019, 5.4 million foreign visitors visited Spain for professional reasons, or 6.5% of the total number of foreign visitors in 2019. This means that more than one international arrival in 20 comes to Spain for business reasons.

Last year, business travel recovered more slowly than leisure travel. Due to the shift online during the pandemic, many companies became more selective about the necessity and frequency of business travel, opting more for digital meetings or conferences. In addition, economic uncertainty and the energy crisis also caused a pullback in business travel at the turn of the year. While business travel was already at 96% of its pre-crisis level in October 2022, it fell to 74% in December as many companies adopted cost-saving measures and reduced their travel budgets.

Business travel has been steadily catching up since the beginning of this year. The Spanish economy has recovered strongly from the energy crisis, growing by 0.5% in the first quarter, and business confidence has returned. In March, the number of international business travellers was already back to 94% of the 2019 level. We expect that the recovery will persist throughout this year, resulting in half a million additional business travellers visiting Spain compared to 2022. Towards the end of the year, however, we might see a slight decline again if the pace of recovery slows and the US economy falls into recession.

Number of international visitors coming to Spain for professional reasons, in % of their number in 2019

Outlook for international travel in 2023.

Despite the headwinds, the first months of 2023 already showed a promising start for international tourism in Spain this year. In the first quarter, the number of foreign visitors reached 97% of pre-pandemic levels. Falling energy prices and stable labour market conditions may have underpinned the tourism sector. If this trend continues into the summer peak, it is likely that tourism figures in the summer months could match or even exceed 2019 levels for the first time.

The recovery in international travel is expected to continue into 2023, albeit at a slower pace than last year. The tourism sector is benefiting from continued strong travel appetite and a slightly improved economic outlook, thanks to a sharp fall in energy prices. However, persistent macroeconomic concerns will slow the pace of recovery, especially in the second half of this year. All in all, we expect a total of 80.7 million tourists to visit Spain in 2023, up by 13% from the previous year but still 3% below the pre-pandemic level. It will probably take until 2024 for the annual number of international tourists to reach 2019 levels again.

Number of international visitors entering Spain each year, including ING forecast (in millions)

Inflationary challenges in the tourism sector remain elevated.

Inflation in the tourism sector remains stubbornly high, with significant pressure on all tourism activities. The consumer price index (CPI) for tourism and hospitality, a specific category within the broader index measuring price changes for tourism and hospitality-related goods and services, stood at 8.1% in April. This figure is just slightly below the peak level of 8.5% recorded in August 2022. Since the start of the pandemic, prices for tourism products and services have risen by an average of 16%.

Inflationary pressures can be attributed to two main factors. First, there are general inflationary pressures due to the increased cost of labour, raw materials and other inputs, which are passed on to consumers. In addition, sustained high demand and consumers' increased willingness to spend on travel and accommodation have given travel and accommodation providers greater pricing power. This allows them to capitalise on this higher demand by raising prices more easily.

Price pressures in the tourism sector show no signs of cooling yet

Increased price levels also have negative consequences. They may lead to a drop in domestic demand, especially among price-conscious travellers or those with limited disposable income. Moreover, potential international visitors may opt for alternative destinations that offer similar travel experiences at more affordable prices. Those who still visit Spain will adjust their spending patterns to mitigate the impact of high prices.

In March, foreign tourists spent an average of €168 per day, up 7% from March 2022. However, given average inflation of 8.1% in the tourism sector, this equates to a 1% drop in real spending. It seems that, in order to cope with significant price increases, visitors are cutting back on certain expenses, such as choosing cheaper accommodation, budget-friendly restaurants and cost-effective activities. In addition, many travellers shorten their trips as another effective strategy to reduce overall travel costs. While the average duration of a trip was 8.0 days in March last year, it has now dropped to 7.6 days.

Tourism will be the main catalyst for economic growth this year

Tourism is a significant contributor to Spain's GDP. According to data from the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC), for the year 2019, tourism represented 12.4% of Spain's GDP. This includes the direct impact of sectors such as accommodation, catering, transport and tourist attractions. Taking into account indirect effects as well, tourism's total contribution to Spanish GDP reached 15.2%.

Further recovery of the tourism sector will play a central role in the country’s growth this year. After a significant decline during the pandemic, Spanish tourism could further restore its importance to the Spanish economy. With household consumption declining and expected interest rate hikes dampening investment dynamics, tourism will be a key driver of growth this year. Our forecast is for growth of 1.9% for Spain, surpassing the eurozone's expected growth rate of 0.5%.

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71.6 million tourists visit Spain in 2022, spending €87 billion

Posted By: The Corner 3rd February 2023

The data on tourist movements at borders (Frontur) made public by the Spanish statistical institute show that the figures for the end of 2022, which are close to 72 million registered tourists, are still 14.3% below those recorded in 2019, a record year for Spanish tourism in which 83.7 million foreign visitors to our country exceeded 83.7 million.

For the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, these data confirm the intense recovery of the tourism sector in 2022. “The expectations we had of recovering the majority of international tourists from the pre-pandemic period have been fulfilled, but the most important thing is that spending is growing more and also the average stay, and this means an improvement in the quality and profitability of our sector,” she said.

The main countries of residence of tourists visiting Spain last year were the UK, France and Germany. Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom increased by 251.3%, those from France by 73.3% and those from Germany by 87.4%.

By regions, the auronomous community of Catalonia was the principal destination in 2022, with 20.7% of the total number of tourists. It was followed by the Balearic Islands (18.5%) and the Canary Islands (17.2%).

Most of the international tourists arriving in Spain came by air, a total of 59.3 million, an increase of 142.5% over the previous year. Nearly 11 million international visitors arrived by road, an increase of 71.8%. Hotel or rented accommodation was used by 59.5 million tourists (140.3% more than in 2021) and homes owned or rented by family or friends by another 12 million (87.8% more).

The majority stay in 2022 was between four and seven nights, and the majority of visitors (54.1 million) came to Spain without a tourist package, twice as many as in 2021. These data confirm the end of a positive year for tourism in Spain, which in December was visited by 4.1 million international tourists, 39.9% more than in the same month in 2021.

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List of Countries by Tourism Income

Below you can find a list of countries by total tourism income and ratio of tourism income by total GDP. You can also find an interactive map below where each country is colored by its tourism income. The ratio of tourism income to the total GDP gives a rough figure which economies are most dependent on tourism income.

• United States of America has the highest total tourism income with over 210 billion $ yearly. This huge figure however is only 1.1% of the country's total GDP
• Spain has the second largest tourism income in the World with almost 68 billion $ yearly, making up tourism 5.2% of the total economy.
• Another Mediterranean country, France, is the third on the list with over 60 billion yearly tourism income.
• It is no wonder that the popular holiday destination Maldives is the leader when it comes to share of tourism in the total GDP. 2.7 billion $ tourism income of Maldives makes up 60% of the country's total GDP.
• Palau and Grenada, two island countries of Caribbeans, come second and third after Maldives. Palau with 141 million $ and Granada with 448 million $ obtain respectively 48% and 40% of their GDP by tourism.

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Countries by Number of Incoming Tourists

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Selected indicators for Spain Share

Population, Million persons, 2002-2022

47.6 million

Growth rate: %

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Mathematics performance (PISA), Mean score, 2018 Reading performance (PISA), Mean score, 2018 Science performance (PISA), Mean score, 2018

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Air and GHG emissions, Carbon dioxide (CO2), latest available year

4.6 tonnes per capita

Gross domestic product (GDP), US dollars/capita, 2022 Real GDP forecast, Annual growth rate (%), 2025

48 853 US$ per capita

Projected growth rate: 2.0%

Household debt, % of net disposable income, 2022 General government debt, % of GDP, 2022

Household debt: 96.2 % of disposable income

Government debt: 116.3 % of GDP

Tax on personal income, % of GDP, 2022

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