CdM| Spain closed the year with a new record in tourist arrivals, as all forecasts had predicted. According to National Statistics Institute (INE) data published today, a total of 85.1 million tourists visited Spain in 2023, an increase of 18.7% over the previous year, reports Europa Press. Comparing this figure with 2019, before the pandemic, tourist arrivals were 1.9% higher.
The British and French are at the head of tourist arrivals in 2023, with Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands being the communities that have benefited the most from the good tourist moment in our country.
Tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom increased by 14.6%, those from France by 17% and those from Germany by 10.6%. However, the data show that despite the more than 28.1 million British and German tourists in 2023, a record year for the sector, one million visitors have been lost between the two countries compared to 2019.
On the other hand, the exponential growth registered by the United States in this same period stands out, which exceeds the pre-pandemic figures by 16.8%, and shoots up the number of its visitors to almost four million in 2023, 38.7% more than last year.
By regions in 2023, Catalonia was the autonomous community that received the most tourists, followed by the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands. Catalonia received 18 million tourists (21.2% more than in 2022), the Balearic Islands 14.4 million (9.1% more) and the Canary Islands 13.9 million (13.1% more).
In terms of spending, which also broke an all-time record in Spain, the main European countries did exceed the figures for 2019 after the end of last year, with the United Kingdom leading the way, as it is the largest issuer of tourists to Spain.
Thus, spending by international tourists from the UK is 11.8% higher than the pre-pandemic level. Germany (+11%), France (+28.6%), Italy (+22%) and the Nordic countries (+4.7%) are also above.
