Tourist spending is 23.6% above that of a year ago and 31.4% higher than in November 2019. In the cumulative figure up to November, spending exceeds 100 billion euros.

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Tourist arrivals to Spain exceed 5 million in November

The number of tourists visiting Spain continues to grow. In November, 5.14 million international tourists visited our country, 18.6% more than in November 2022 and 10.5% more than in November 2019, considered the pre-pandemic reference year. In the cumulative of the first eleven months, 79.8 million tourists have opted for our country to enjoy their vacations, a figure that is already above the cumulative of 2019 (0.8% more) and that exceeds by 18.2% the cumulative of the same period last year, according to data published today by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

In addition, Spain once again broke its record for tourism spending in November. Foreign visitors brought in 6,653 million euros, which represents a growth of 31.4% compared to the best figure recorded in the same month of 2019, and 23.6% more compared to 2022. Moreover, during the first eleven months of 2023, spending has increased by 24% compared to 2022, totalling 101,569 million euros.

For the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, “tourist arrivals and spending at the destination have accelerated notably in the second half of the year, especially in the months that were historically considered low season, with double-digit growth, which has a very positive impact on the national economy, both in terms of GDP and employment”.

The average expenditure per traveller and the average stay, two data that illustrate higher quality tourism and focus the efforts of the policy of the Ministry of Industry and Tourism, also offer encouraging figures. Each tourist spent an average of 1,294 euros in November, 4.2% more than last year and 19% more than in 2019. Spending per day also reflects this growth, reaching €173, up 4.1% year-on-year and 7.4% more than in 2019.

The U.S. is up 40% through November
The UK continues to top the list of tourist-sending countries in November, with 952,279 tourists, up 15.2% compared to November 2022. In the cumulative figure for the first eleven months of the year, the number of tourists from this country is 14.4% above the same period last year.

France and Germany, in that order, are the next countries with the most tourists visiting Spain. France has provided 641,986 tourists to Spain, 9% more than in November 2022; for its part, Germany brings 623,155 visitors, 18.5% more than in November last year.

At the top of the list of countries with the highest growth this month is Belgium, which experienced a strong increase of 32.5% in November compared to November last year. After Belgium, Switzerland, with a year-on-year growth of 29.5%, and the Netherlands, with 22%, are the fastest-growing markets.

Among the other countries of residence, the strong year-on-year increase of tourists from the United States stands out, with 20.4% more arrivals than in the same month last year. The 241,784 travellers from the U.S. reward the Ministry’s policy efforts to attract long-haul markets, whose stays tend to be longer as well as their spending. In the accumulated eleven months, the number of tourists from the United States has increased by almost 40% compared to the same period in 2022 and by more than 16% compared to 2019.

The Canary Islands, top destination
The Canary Islands is the first destination chosen by tourists in November, with 25.9% of the total. It is followed by Catalonia (22.3%) and Andalusia (14%).

The number of tourists who visited the Canary Islands increased by 12.4% to over 1.3 million. Nearly 1.1 million tourists arrived in Catalonia, 19.7% more than in November 2022. The third main destination community by number of tourists is Andalusia, with nearly 710,000 and a year-on-year increase of 21.5%.

The community that grew the most in November was the Balearic Islands, with a year-on-year increase of 28.9%, followed by Valencia (26.3%) and Madrid (23.3%).

In the accumulated of the first eleven months of 2023 the communities that receive more tourists are Catalonia (with 16.9 million and an increase of 21% over the same period of 2022), Illes Balears (with 14.2 million and an increase of 8.9%) and the Canary Islands (with 12.5 million, an increase of 13.1%).

In terms of spending, in the cumulative figure up to November, the communities that have benefited most are Catalonia (with 19.3% of the total), the Canary Islands (18%) and the Balearic Islands (17.2%).