A record 94 million international travellers visited Spain in 2024, making it the highest year for tourism numbers in the country since records started, the tourism minister said on Wednesday.
It was Spain’s second record-breaking year since 2019, the year before the Covid-19 pandemic that paralysed international leisure travel, as tourism has rebounded globally. But the surge in arrivals also comes at a time when a housing crisis in Spain has put tourist accommodation in the spotlight. ALSO READ: Sánchez announces new housing measures, including limiting non-residents from buying property.
Spain ranks as the second most popular destination globally, after France, on the U.N. World Tourism Barometer. ALSO READ: Spanish government to limit short-term rentals and tourist flats to address housing crisis.
The number of foreign visitors in 2024 improved by 10% on the target set in 2023, when 83.5 million people visited the country, Industry and Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu said.
The income from foreign visitors reached 126 billion euros in the past 12 months, up 16% from the €108.7 billion spent in 2023, the minister said. Tourism accounts for 12.3% of the country’s gross domestic product.
Spain is one of the most popular sun and beach destinations, but 32% more travellers said they visited the country last year for cultural reasons and culinary travel increased by 28%, compared to 2019, according to the Tourism Ministry.
Travel outside of the summer months and a rise in popularity of inland destinations — beyond Barcelona, the Mediterranean and Canary Islands — have been keys to the new mark, the ministry said. Besides its traditional European market, the Spanish tourism sector has recorded an increase in visitors from the United States, Latin America and Asia.
Many countries have set new tourism records following the Covid-19 pandemic. Overall, international arrivals have reached 98% of 2019 levels in January-September 2024, according to the UN barometer.
El ministro @jordihereub adelanta otro año histórico para el #turismo.
🎙️”España avanza hacia un modelo de más calidad y más diversificado, en línea con las políticas públicas que viene impulsando el Gobierno”.
Más ℹ️nformación: https://t.co/WzEetj76gi pic.twitter.com/SX7rzS6Dvj
— Ministerio de Industria y Turismo (@minturgob) January 15, 2025
Sign up for the FREE Weekly Newsletter from Spain in English.
Please support Spain in English with a donation.
Click here to get your business activity or services listed on our DIRECTORY.
Click here for further details on how to ADVERTISE with us.