Spain is unlikely to reach the forecast target of 100 million tourists for this year - but only just.
The country is currently on track to close 2025 with close to 97 million international tourists, according to data from the INE’s Frontur and Egatur surveys. Between January and August, the country welcomed 66.8 million visitors, 3.9% more than in the same period in 2024, while associated spending reached €92.463 billion, an increase of 7.1%.
In August alone, 11.3 million travellers arrived, generating expenditure of 16.39 billion, confirming the strength of demand despite the moderation in the rate of growth. Although the figures suggest that Spain will not reach the symbolic barrier of 100 million tourists this year, the sector maintains a positive trend. The Balearics led arrivals in August, with 2.53 million visitors, followed by Catalonia (2.18 million) and Andalusia (1.71 million).
And what is interesting is that during August, rented accommodation proved more popular that hotels, despite all the crackdown on hotel lets, legal and illegal. The United Kingdom was the main country of residence, with more than 2.2 million tourists and an increase of 4.4% compared with August 2024. There were 2.0 million arrivals from France (5.1% fewer) and 1.3 million from Germany (4.4% more).
The main countries of origin during the first eight months were the United Kingdom (with almost 13.2 million tourists and an increase of 4.3%), France (almost 9.2 million and an increase of 0.1%) and Germany (with more than 8.2 million, 2.0% more).
Main type of accommodation and other characteristics of the trips
The number of tourists who chose market accommodation as their main type of accommodation increased by 1.4% in annual terms. Within this type, hotel accommodation grew by 1.5% and rented dwellings by 11.7%. Non-market accommodation increased by 12.0%. Four to seven nights was the main duration of stay among tourists, with almost 5.3 million and an annual increase of 3.9%.
The number of visitors increased by 7.5% among those without overnight stays (excursionists) and decreased by 0.8% among tourists with longer duration (more than 15 nights). More than 8.4 million tourists travelled without a tourist package in August, an increase of 3.1%. Over 2.8 million travellers arrived with package tours, an increase of 2.5%.
Autonomous communities of main destination
The Balearics was the top destination for tourists in August, with 22.5% of the total. It was followed by Cataluña (19.4%) and Andalusia (15.3%). The Balearics received 3.5% more tourists than in August 2024. The number of tourists visiting Cataluña decreased by 4.3% and 7.6% more tourists came to Andalusia.