The Spanish spring has blossomed with spectacular tourism figures, consolidating the sector's recovery and vigour. April 2024 marked an unprecedented milestone: spending by international tourists in Spain reached the impressive figure of 10,826 milliona historic high for the month.
This is not a mere statistic; it is a clear indicator of the strength of the destination. It represents a growth of 13,1% compared to April of the previous year and an even more significant increase of the 22,7% compared to pre-pandemic levels in April 2019. The trend is upward and robust, confirming that Spain remains a magnet for global tourism.
Looking deeper into the details, the quality of spending has also improved. The average daily expenditure per tourist reached another record high at 183 euroswhich represents an increase of 5,9% year-on-year and a 13,3% more than in 2019. Similarly, the average expenditure per trip amounted to 1,221 eurosa 2,5% higher than last year and a 10,3% over 2019. These indicators suggest that visitors are not only coming in greater numbers, but also investing more during their stay.
The main drivers of this expenditure come from the United Kingdomwhich leads with the 20,3% of the total, closely followed by Germany (13,7%) and the Nordic countries (8,7%). As for preferred destinations, Catalonia captured the 21,7% of total expenditure, while Canary Islands (17%) y Andalusia (15%) also remained significant poles of attraction.
An interesting aspect is the relationship between type of accommodation and expenditure. Tourists who opted to stay in hotels showed a higher average daily expenditure, of 214 euroscompared to the 150 euros of those who opted for Flexible Accommodation or other rental options. This suggests different expenditure profiles associated with different types of accommodation.
The purpose of travel remains clearly leisure oriented, which absorbs a massive 88% of total expenditure. In addition, a notable dynamism can be observed in organised trips, which, although they represent a 10,9% of total expenditure, they experienced an impressive increase of 30,1% year-on-year. Unorganised travel, on the other hand, accounted for 89,1% expenditure, with a growth of 11,2%.
These data underline not only Spain's ability to attract a steady flow of visitors, but also the resilience and value-generating power of its tourism industry. A picture that injects optimism and reinforces the country's position as a global leader in the sector.
