Spain Welcomes Increase In Visitor Numbers

- In May 2013, Spain welcomed 5.8 million international tourists, representing a 7.4% year on year increase.
- For the same period, the UK saw a 9.3% yearly increase in visitors to Spain and accounted for well over a quarter (27.1%) of all international visitors.
- Between January and May 2013, Spain has welcomed in excess of 19.8 million international visitors representing a cumulative rise of 3.9% year on year.

Source Markets

During May 2013, Spain saw a 9.3% year on year increase in UK visitors to Spain, making it the largest international tourism market to the country and representing well over a quarter of all international visitors (27.1%). The Balearic Islands were the main destination of choice for Brits, welcoming almost one in three of all British visitors and registering a 10.8% rise in British visitors compared to the previous year.

For the same period, Germany was the second strongest market, capturing 17.3% of all international visitors to Spain and registering a 13.2% increase compared to May 2012. France was the third strongest source market representing 14% of all international visitors and seeing a 5.9% year on year rise in French visitors to Spain.

Cumulatively from January until the end of May 2013, Spain welcomed more than 19.8 million international tourists, up 3.9% year on year. The UK maintains its position as Spain’s strongest inbound market seeing a cumulative year on year rise of 4.4% and representing over 22% of all international visitors, followed by Germany (16.4%) and France (16.4%).

Key destinations

During May 2013, Catalonia welcomed 1.5 million tourists (+ 6.3%), marking its sixteenth consecutive month of growth, with France representing the strongest inbound visitor market to the northern Spanish region.

The Balearics followed closely registering 1.4 million tourists (+ 13.2%) with seven of every ten visitors coming from the UK or Germany.

Andalucía welcomed 781,000 tourists (+ 5.7%) in May, with the Nordic countries, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom collectively taking full responsibility for the year on year growth.

The Canary Islands saw in excess of 690,000 visitors (+ 8.5%), with the UK accounting for the majority of visitors with a significant year on year growth of 10.5%.

Expenditure

In May 2013, Spain saw a 8.9% year on year increase in tourism expenditure. From the UK alone, tourism expenditure rose by 13.8% for the same period, accounting for the largest share (> 20%) of the total.

From January until the end of May 2013, Spain benefitted from more than 18 million euros in tourism expenditure, representing a cumulative rise of 7.9% compared to the same period last year. The UK is accountable for the largest share of tourism expenditure (18.4%), followed by Germany (16.5%) and France (10%).

Cumulatively from January to the end of May, the average expenditure has grown (+1.4%) with visitors spending an average of €883.00 in total and €111.00 per day. For the UK alone, the average spend has increased by over 4% year on year to a total of €704.00 per person, and €91.00 per day. Interestingly the biggest spenders are the Dutch, with an average total spend of €919.00 and an average daily spend of €114.00.

Other key statistics

During May 2013, over 83% of all international visitors to Spain arrived by plane. Air travel to Spain saw an 8.2% increase whereas access by road grew by 4.9%.

Whilst most visitors opted for hotel accommodation (66.6%), other types of accommodation saw a sharp rise (+24%).

In terms of types of travel, package holidays dropped by 6.4%, capturing 28.8% of Spain’s visitor market.

For more information on Spain as a holiday destination, please visit www.spain.info. For news, openings and events, please visit http://socialnewsroom.spain.info/. For further information, please contact spain@lotus-uk.co.uk