Spain fans are not deterred by the demonstrations against mass tourism. On the contrary: the number of visitors from abroad continues to grow rapidly. More and more are also coming from Germany.
Despite the increasing protests against mass tourism, Spain is being visited by more people from abroad this year than ever before. By July 31, the number of these visitors had risen by around twelve percent compared to the same period last year, to a record of almost 53.4 million, according to the national statistics office INE in Madrid. Spending by tourists and business travelers had even increased by almost 19 percent to around 71.1 billion euros.
According to INE, in July alone, Spain was visited by 10.9 million people from abroad (7.3 percent more than in July 2023). They left a good 15.5 billion euros in the country. This value is almost twelve percent or almost 1.7 billion euros higher than the previous July peak recorded last year, INE emphasizes.
Germans in third place behind British and French
Once again, visitors from Great Britain were primarily responsible for the record figures, with a total of just over 10.5 million visitors between January 1 and July 31 (an increase of 8.6 percent compared to the same period last year). They were followed by the French with just over seven million (10.6 percent) and Germany with 6.8 million (10.1 percent).
The most visited region was Catalonia with almost 11.5 million, ahead of the Balearic Islands with just over 8.7 million, the Canary Islands (just under 8.7 million) and Valencia (just under 6.8 million). In July, however, the Balearic Islands (just over 2.5 million) were in first place, ahead of Catalonia (just under 2.4 million).
The number of visitors to Spain had been rising rapidly for many years before the corona pandemic brought a pause. Since 2022, however, one record has been chasing the next. The protests, during which tourists were insulted and “shot” with water pistols, among other things, have not affected this development.
There have been demonstrations in recent weeks and months in holiday hotspots such as Mallorca, Barcelona, Málaga and the Canary Islands, but also in smaller towns. The rapidly growing housing shortage, which is also attributed to the increase in holiday homes, is angering locals – but so are traffic jams, noise and dirt.
Tourism accounts for almost 14 percent of Spain’s gross domestic product. In some regions, however, this figure is significantly higher. In Mallorca and the rest of the Balearic Islands, it is around 35 percent.
Source: Stern
