Spain: Spending by international tourists exceeded €46.5 billion up to May

International

International tourist arrivals in Spain in the first five months of 2025 exceeded 35 million, 5.5% more than in the same period last year.

In May, 9.3 million international tourists came to Spain, an increase of 1.5% year-on-year, who spent a total of €12.2 billion, up 4.8%.

Spending at destination in the “Rest of Communities” (which excludes the six most visited ones) was up 16.4% in May.

According to the data published today by the National Statistics Institute (INE), total spending by international tourists exceeded €46.5 billion up to May, representing an 8% increase compared to the same period in 2024. Likewise, the number of international tourists who arrived in Spain in the first five months of the year reached 35 million, marking a 5.5% increase compared to the same period the previous year.

In May, 9.4 million tourists visited Spain, 1.5% more than in the same month of the previous year, spending more than €12.2 billion, an increase of 4.9% compared to May 2024.

In the fifth month of the year, each visitor spent an average of €1,304, reflecting an annual increase of 3.2%, while average daily spending rose by 1.9% to €209. The most common length of stay among tourists was between four and seven nights, with more than 4.7 million visitors, although this figure showed a year-on-year decrease of 0.4%.

Portugal again the fastest-growing market

In May, the United Kingdom was the top country of origin for visitors, with 2.1 million arrivals, a 7.3% increase compared to the same month the previous year. In terms of destination spending, UK visitors spent €2.351 billion in Spain in May, also a 7.3% increase over the same month in 2024.

France came in second, with 1.2 million visitors in May (a 6.7% decrease). French tourist spending reached €990 million, which was 0.2% higher than in May the previous year.

Meanwhile, visitors from Germany decreased by 6.1% compared to May 2024, with 1,157,574 international tourists spending €1.333 billion, 5.7% less than in the same period last year.

Notably, as in April, Portugal showed strong growth in May, with a 16.9% year-on-year increase (225,726 international tourists). Additionally, in terms of spending, the segment labelled "rest of the world" showed the highest year-on-year growth among all major markets, increasing by 7.8%.

Notable growth in spending in ‘Rest of Communities’

In May, the Balearic Islands were the top destination for tourists, accounting for 21.2% of the total. They were followed by Catalonia (20.5%) and Andalusia (15.5%). The Balearic Islands saw 0.2% fewer tourists than in May 2024, while Catalonia saw a 5.6% decline. In contrast, Andalusia welcomed 8.1% more tourists.

In terms of the regions with the largest share of total tourist spending in May, the Balearic Islands ranked first (19.1% of the total), followed by Catalonia (18.7%) and Andalusia (15.5%). Tourist spending increased by 5.3% year-on-year in the Balearic Islands (reaching €2.335 billion), decreased by 1.3% in Catalonia (down to €2.297 billion), and rose by 11.1% in Andalusia (totalling €1.902 billion). It is worth highlighting that cumulative spending in May for the "rest of the autonomous communities" (excluding the main tourist regions) was notable, with a 16.4% increase.

In the first five months of 2025, the regions with the highest cumulative spending were the Canary Islands (22.1% of the total), Catalonia (17.1%), and Andalusia (15.5%).