Record number of tourists visit Spain in July

The beaches and resorts of Spain have seen a record number of foreign visitors in July

Figures from Spain’s tourism department Frontur have revealed that record numbers of foreign tourists visited Spain in July this year.

Such news is encouraging for the country’s economy, which has been mired in recession since 2008, leading to massive levels of unemployment and brain drain among large swathes of the country’s youth.

Frontur’s statistics show that 7.9 million foreign nationals visited Spain in July, which is a 2.9 per cent increase on the same month last year…

As ever, British holidaymakers led the way, with 1.8 million tourists from the UK visiting Spain last month, closely followed by German and French holidaymakers, with 1.2 million visitors each.

From the period between January-July, a record 34 million foreigners visited the country – an increase of 3.9 per cent on 2012. In terms of the biggest increase, the Russians led the way: 838,876 holidaymakers from Russia visited Spain during this period, which is an increase of 31 per cent on 2012.

After car manufacturing, tourism is Spain’s biggest and most profitable industry. During this long summer season, unemployment figures have actually fallen as workers have taken up the wealth of seasonal jobs that have proved incredibly important for the country’s economy.

Spain’s so-called ‘lost generation’ – those of working age under 25 – are suffering from 55 per cent youth unemployment, which is the highest in Europe.

However, with its robust tourism sector and an export industry that is performing impressively (in fact, exports have helped Spain cut its trade deficit to just €106.7 million in June, which has wiped off a massive 96 per cent of its €2.7bn deficit posted in June 2012), things are finally looking up for the nation’s long-suffering youth generation.

How long this upswing in performance lasts is anybody’s guess, and the post-summer lull that traditionally follows in October is likely to return as normal. But as the eurozone emerges from recession, Spain’s EU neighbours are more likely to spend again – which could be just the salvation that Spain’s export and tourism industries need.