Spain's Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, admitted on Friday that there has been a ‘slight’ impact on the number of tourist arrivals in Spain as a result of the conflict in the Middle East: ‘If we were going to grow by 2% or 3%, perhaps we will now grow by less.’
However, he stressed that there is no shortage in the country and that the depots are “full of kerosene”, whilst also highlighting that it is equally important for other European countries that do not have such a diversified supply chain to also have access. ‘If Spain has the fuel, but the flight from Málaga to Gatwick faces supply problems at Gatwick, we also have a problem,’ explained Hereu in Barcelona, during his participation in the “Converses del degà” series organised by the Col·legi d’Economistes alongside the college’s dean, Carlos Puig de Travy.
Despite this context, for the minister, “what is happening does not make us change our roadmap, but rather persevere with this tourism strategy whilst remaining very attentive to the current situation”.
The Minister for Tourism referred to a tourism model based on the decentralisation of destinations, the diversification of products, the reduction of seasonality and digitalisation.
Hereu is confident that Spain’s tourist “appeal” will this year offset the potential reduction in air travel that may result from the rising cost and reduced availability of kerosene, and that Spain will continue to see growth in tourist numbers, albeit “very slight”. In any case, the minister made it clear that breaking another record for international tourists is what “concerns him least”, because he is far more interested in “the revenue” generated by visitors than in their total number.
Hereu recalled that in 2025 Spain received some 97 million foreign visitors, who contributed 135 billion euros to the Spanish economy; and he noted that the trend for the first two months of 2026 is “good”, because revenue is growing faster than the number of tourists, “and that is the model”.
As for the coming months, he stated that any estimates made will always be subject to what may happen and referred to the war in the Middle East. Firstly, he assured that Spain wishes for “peace” in the region and noted that tourism has “sufficient strength” in the country not to depend on the problems of others.
He suggested that the war in the Middle East is a factor that could bring more tourists to Spain, because some of the demand from the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East could shift to the western Mediterranean and “obviously” to a “safe”, “friendly” and “respectful” country such as Spain.
The context of war in the Middle East makes Spain “attractive”, Hereu emphasised.
However, he warned that factors such as the “rising cost of kerosene”, which means air travel “may decline”, or the relative economic decline of countries such as Germany, France or Italy, amongst others, “may deter” tourists. Although airlines have booked more seats on their routes to Spain and overnight stays “are not doing badly”, the persistence of the war “may affect the desire to travel”, said Hereu, who nevertheless highlighted the “resilience” of international tourism despite the current situation.
The minister also admitted that Spain “is keeping a close eye on kerosene, its price and its availability”, given the impact this may have on tourism activity. Against this backdrop, Hereu called for continued diversification of the tourism offering and for the reduction of seasonality. Furthermore, when asked about the effects of the war on the Spanish industry, the minister replied that, for the time being, the country is ‘holding up well’, despite the rise in fuel prices.
However, he admitted to being ‘concerned’ about the effects that may arise in the coming months if the war drags on. In any case, he said that Spain is ‘better off’ than other European countries due to investments made in recent years, such as the development of renewables. On the other hand, he noted that countries such as Italy are seeking with “much greater desperation” to secure their energy supply due to their much greater dependence on gas. In any case, Hereu emphasised that Europe is a “club” and that the problems of France, Germany or Italy are also “our problems”.