Tourism in Spain set to grow 3.2% this year

Spain will attract 3.2% more tourists in 2017 than 2016’s record-breaking year.

Having posted growth of 4.9% in 2016, tourism in Spain is on course to increase by a further 3.2% this year, according to new data from tourism promotion group Exceltur…

The group estimates that more than 75.4 million tourists flocked to Spain last year as a serendipitous combination of factors – combined with Spain’s enduring appeal and proactive, professional tourism industry – came together in a perfect storm.

Things are unlikely to be too different this year, Exceltur says, although the actual pace of growth will slow somewhat. There are a couple of reasons for this, say the tourism experts, including the expected slide of the pound sterling against the euro serving to deter some British holidaymakers from heading abroad.

However, the expected impact of Brexit has yet to materialise, and is unlikely to have any significant impact on tourism numbers in Spain. Other factors that played into Spain’s hands last year – namely the upheaval caused by the spectre of terrorism in other Mediterranean nations – may not (one hopes) prove quite as unsettling in 2017, but very few agencies or politicians can predict that.

Spain’s settled government will deliver a boost for stability, the experts agree, which in turn plays into the narrative that a stable country is an attractive country to visit.

Last year, tourism accounted for 11% of Spain’s GDP, with more than 80,000 jobs added in the sector in 2016. Such numbers are likely to be repeated this year, the experts added.