Spain tourism figures shatter another new record

The beaches of Banús, the restaurants of Marbella, the attractions of Benalmádena – Spain has a lot to offer tourists of all types.

The first seven months of 2015 have attracted more than 38 million tourists to Spain – a figure that smashes all previous records.

State tourism figures released at the end of last week show that tourism has increased 4.7 per cent on last year, shattering the record number of tourists that arrived in Spain in 2014…

Of that 38 million, around one quarter – nine million – were British tourists, whose numbers have so far swelled this year by 6.3 per cent on the same period last year.

With the recent terrorist attack in Tunisia deterring many thousands of Brits, allied to Greece’s ongoing economic turmoil, Turkey’s proximity to the troubled lands of Syria and Iraq, and the strength of the pound sterling against the euro, British tourists have found Spain a warm, welcoming and affordable holiday alternative.

Of course, Spain has long been a favourite among British tourists, but this year’s record-breaking visitor numbers are unprecedented. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy recently remarked that Spain is on course to attract around 68 million tourists over the course of 2015 – three million more than last year and more than France, which is traditionally Spain’s nearest rival in the tourism stakes.

Tourism represents 11 per cent of Spain’s GDP, making it one of the nation’s most important industries. With the country set to out-perform many others in the Eurozone this year, big-spending Brits, German, American and Scandinavian tourists have helped to play their part in Spain’s financial recovery – a recovery that is expected to continue right through to 2016 and beyond.

So long as the sun keeps shining, the beaches remain clean and Spain’s multitude of other attractions – including its varied and great-value property market – continue to turn heads, then Spain can look forward to a prolonged and strengthening period of stability over the next decade at least, financial experts agree.