Tourism in Spain has reached 71 per cent of pre-pandemic levels in February, with the number of international arrivals amounting to 3.2 million and the spending rates exceeding €3.7 billion, which is 78 per cent of 2019’s expenditure levels.
According to data from the Spanish Statistics Institute (INE), UK nationals remain the leading market for tourism, representing 18.3 per cent of all arrivals, while the biggest spenders for the month were Frenchmen, who spent even more than they did before the pandemic, from €385 million euros in 2021 to €349 million, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
“In February, the trend of recovery in international tourism has been consolidated, with a growth of more than 670,000 travellers compared to the previous month, which shows the perception of Spain as a safe destination. A trend that we expect to intensify significantly in the run-up to the first milestone in the 2022 holiday calendar, Easter,” the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, said, also pointing out that the forecast for April is the recovery of 80 per cent of pre-pandemic international arrivals.
Furthermore, data shows that in comparison with February 2020, when 3.1 million arrivals were recorded, the number of international tourists increased by 1,007 per cent this year. Brits, Frenchmen and Germans were the main source markets, with arrivals from the Nordic countries (2,005 per cent), Ireland (1,999 per cent) and the Netherlands (1,482 per cent), making honourable mentions.
Overall, the number of visitors has increased by 680.6 per cent so far this year, surpassing the 5.6 million mark. In the corresponding time last year, 722,947 tourists were recorded in Spain.
As per destinations, the famous Canary Islands was the leading spot for tourism in Spain, with three out of ten tourists, mainly UK and German nationals heading there, while the second most visited spot was Catalonia – with 619,390 tourists representing 19.6 per cent of all arrivals. Catalonia was mainly visited by tourists from France and other European countries, while Andalusia, which received 425,307 visitors or 13.5 per cent of the total, was a frequented spot mainly by British and French tourists.
The average stay recorded in February was four to seven nights with a total expenditure (including travelling to Spain) of €3.7 billion, which represents 79.7 per cent of the pre-pandemic period. The average spending per tourist stood at €1,190, and it was also higher than in the pre-pandemic period when it reached €1,066 euros.
The main autonomous regions where tourists spent the most are the Canary Islands, Catalonia and the Valencian Community, while the majority of expenditures were recorded in activities, followed by international transport, excluding the package tour and meals.
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