Brits accounted for 20% of tourist spending in Spain in October

October was very warm in Spain this year, which will have had an effect on tourists’ spending habits, particularly the sun-starved Brits.

New data from Spain’s Tourism Ministry has revealed that British visitors to the country spent a total of €1.5 billion in October – 20% of all tourist spending recorded for the month.

Brits accounted for 23% of all overseas visitors in Spain in October, cementing their position as Spain’s leading source of tourist income…

Overall, Spain welcomed 7.26 million visitors in October – a record for the month – while tourist spending also hit new heights for October, reaching €7.76 billion.

However, while both figures represented the highest recorded for Spain, the pace of growth slowed a little, with a comparison between October 2016 showing the lowest incremental monthly increase in 2017. Experts believe that this slight slowing in growth can probably be traced to the Catalonia political crisis, which made global headlines throughout the month of October.

Average spending per foreign tourist in Spain in October was €144 per day (although Brits spent below the average at €120 per day), with German visitors accounting for €1.24 billion in spending and 16% of all visitors.

The third most populous group was Scandinavians, with visitors from Scandinavian countries accounting for 11.5% of tourists and spending €665 million. Interestingly, the number of French visitors to Spain in October actually fell, with experts suggesting that fewer crossed over the Pyrenees into Catalonia during the political unrest.

The first ten months of the year show that foreign visitors have spent more than €77.6 billion in Spain, a figure some 13.1% higher than over the same period in 2016, with Brits accounting for 20.3% of all foreign spending.

By region, Catalonia continues to attract the most tourists, accounting for 19% of visitor numbers in October.