August sees Spain break record tourism numbers, again

Spain will attract more than 65 million visitors this year – an all-time record

Spain’s tourism records just keep on tumbling – last month marked the first time ever that the nine million-mark was surpassed as 9,070,024 holidaymakers headed to Spain.

According to Spain’s national broadcaster TVE, the figure is a nine per cent increase on the same period last year and marks a high point for Spain’s thriving tourist industry…

Unsurprisingly, it was British holidaymakers that formed the largest single group of tourists, accounting for 2,136,879 holidaymakers last month, an increase of five per cent on last year. Spain has remained the most popular destination for overseas tourism over the past few years, seeing off tough competition from France.

Speaking of the French, Spain’s Gallic northern neighbours also travelled south in their droves in August. Official figures show that 1,981,643 holidaymakers to Spain last month were French, making them the second-largest group by nationality, after the British. German visitors numbered 1.29 million, making them the third-largest group. However, the number of Russians visiting Spain last month actually fell by 8.6 per cent as the Ukraine crisis continued to take its toll on the Russian ruble, affecting many holiday plans in the process.

So far, 2014 is shaping up to be a record year for Spanish tourism, with numbers for the first eight months of the year up by 7.3 per cent on 2013, and some four per cent above the average. In total, more than 45,384,483 foreign tourists have visited Spain so far in 2014 – a total that is expected to top 65 million by the end of the year. Last year’s record figure of 60.6 million visitors is likely to be easily surpassed, government officials believe.

Spain has benefited from strong recovering economies in many of its key markets, including the UK, while Germans and Scandinavians – long-time visitors to the resorts of the Costa del Sol – have suffered very little during the economic downturn. The ongoing political turmoil affecting Egypt, allied to the fact that war-torn Syria and troubled Iraq share a border with Turkey, has meant that these two recent rivals to Spain’s tourism crown have suffered over the past 18 months.

Globally, Spain remains the world’s third-most visited country, just behind the USA and France. Most visitors are attracted by the country’s wonderful climate, beaches and family-friendly resorts, yet Spain has so much more to offer than just that, including: incredible history; stunning cities; world-class cuisine; beautiful landscapes; affordable property; luxurious restaurants; superb nightclubs, and much, much more!