International tourist arrivals and spending data for July confirm Spain as a safe destination

In July, the average spending per tourist was 1,190 euros, 19.3% more than a year ago, and the average duration of trips was 8.3 days.

"This data reflects the gradual recovery of international tourism and show that Spain has managed to be perceived as a safe destination by millions of travellers. The confidence of international tourists in our country is due to the effective progress of the vaccination process, which places us at the head of the world powers, together with the leadership shown by the Spanish tourism sector in the development and deployment of strict security protocols. This is in addition to the Government's determined promotion of the EU's Digital COVID Certificate and the effective promotion of our destinations carried out by Turespaña and its network of regional ministries abroad," stressed the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto.

Spending by international tourists doubles

Spending by international tourists in July was more than double that recorded in the same month last year (+112.8%) and reached 43.7% of the amount spent in July 2019. "We hope that this trend will continue in August and we will continue to work towards a greater reactivation of international mobility, without losing sight of the evolution of the pandemic on a global level," said the head of the sector, who pointed out that one of the current challenges is to extend the summer season as much as possible. "Decisions such as Germany's decision to no longer consider Spain a high-risk area, which eliminates the quarantine requirement for unvaccinated people on return, are a step in the right direction," she said.

At least seven out of every ten tourists who visited us in July entered our country by air, a circumstance to which, in the opinion of Reyes Maroto, "the rapid and effective deployment promoted by the Government of Spain of the EU's Digital Covid Certificate has contributed, as well as the relaxation of entry requirements for third-country nationals when the epidemiological situation has allowed it".

By autonomous community and country

The Balearic Islands was the main destination chosen by international tourists both in terms of the number of arrivals (30% of the total), up 124.3% year-on-year, and in terms of tourist spending (31.2% of the total).

It is followed by Catalonia, which accumulated 18.5% of arrivals (up 86.4% year-on-year) and accounted for 16.7% of spending, and the Valencian Community with 13.8% of arrivals and spending (an annual increase of 58.5%).

In terms of the nationalities of tourists, the French led the number of arrivals in July, with 874,189 tourists, followed by Germans (707,331) and British (555,183).

So far this year, France is the main source market, with more than 2.1 million tourists and an increase of 1.8% compared to the same period in 2020. Germany, with almost 1.9 million and an increase of 6.4%, is in second place.

In terms of spending, the main outbound markets so far this year are Germany with 2.131 billion euros (19.4%), followed by France with 1.512 billion euros (13.8%) and the United Kingdom with 964 million euros (8.8%).

Non official translation