Spain received more than 5.1 million international tourists in October. For the first time in history, arrivals in October exceed those of September (440,000 more) and almost reach those of August, according to the Frontur survey published today by the National Institute of Statistics (INE). The spending of these tourists reaches 5,587 million euros and also increases by 546 million compared to the previous month, according to the Egatur survey published by the INE. International tourists who visited Spain in October represent 67% of those who arrived in the same month of 2019. Their spending also represents 67% compared to October 2019.
For the Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, these data “confirm the path of recovery of international tourism that began in June thanks to the image of a safe destination that Spain has managed to project in international markets and the greater international connectivity. In addition, we have managed to extend the tourist season as we had proposed, reaching in October, for the first time in history, volumes of tourists and expenses higher than those of September. We must maintain the security measures that allow us to control the pandemic, especially to continue with the vaccination of the population and be prudent with the identification of new variants of COVID-19 so as not to generate alarms. We know how to protect ourselves from the virus and vaccination is the best tool "
In the accumulated of the year, international tourist arrivals exceed 24.8 million and represent an increase of 39.3% compared to the same period of 2020. Spending in the first 10 months of this year is 47.9% higher than the same period in 2020, reaching 27,526 million euros.
United Kingdom, first issuing market
For the first time since the outbreak of the pandemic, the United Kingdom has been the main source country, with 953,348 tourists (six times more than a year ago), a growth motivated by the disappearance of the British traffic light system and the simplification of the requirements of entry to that country for British returning from abroad. The United Kingdom is followed by Germany (927,906 tourists and a growth of more than 1,000% compared to a year ago) and France, which almost doubles the numbers of October 2020, with 750,491 tourists.
In terms of spending, Germany is the main issuing country. Its tourists spent 1,080 million euros (19.3%) on the trip, followed by those from the United Kingdom (993 million, 17.8% of the total) and France (512 million, 9.2% of the total).
By CCAA
The Balearic Islands were the Autonomous Community most visited by international tourists in October, with more than one million tourists, mainly of German and British origin. Followed very closely by the Canary Islands, with 994,249 tourists, mostly of the same two nationalities. Catalonia, with 855,170 visitors coming mostly from France and the rest of Europe, is placed in third position.
In the accumulated of the first 10 months of 2021, the communities that receive the most tourists are Illes Balears (with almost 6.1 million and an increase of 261.0% compared to the same period in 2020), Catalonia (with almost 4.6 million and an increase of 23.5%) and Andalusia (with more than 3.4 million, an increase of 32.3%).
