Spain Europe’s favourite holiday destination (yet again)

No strain in Spain: If it's a relaxing and varied holiday you're after, head to Spain

Spain is the most popular holiday destination in Europe, according to stats released this week by the European Union.

Of all the 27 EU member states that existed in 2011 (there will soon be 28 when Croatia joins the union in July), 13 per cent of holidaymakers travelled abroad to Spain, putting it in top spot ahead of both Italy and France, who were tied on nine per cent.

While this EU average comes as no surprise, the statistics given as a country-by-country breakdown make for interesting reading. Unsurprisingly, British holidaymakers made Spain their top destination, with 21 per cent of all foreign trips made from the UK heading to Spain…

France was Brits’ second-most popular destination, hosting 14 per cent of all foreign trips, while third spot, with six per cent, was snaffled by ‘other Asia’; a combination of Thailand and other Far East countries.

Spain was also the most popular holiday destination for the French (18 per cent) and the Portuguese (a massive 39 per cent). Interestingly, the most popular foreign destination among Germans was Austria (15 per cent), with Italy (14 per cent) and Spain (12 per cent) close behind.

Spaniards themselves – despite the economic turmoil and high unemployment – favoured France (16 per cent), then Portugal (13 per cent) and Italy (12 per cent) for their holidays.

Some 34 per cent of all foreign trips taken by the Irish were unsurprisingly to the UK, but Spain made up a whopping 25 per cent of all trips, putting it a close second. The Belgians, Italians and Danes also visited Spain in their droves during 2011.

An interesting anomaly to the statistics showed that while the majority of nations favoured a neighbouring country as their chosen destination (where a border of body of sea is shared), the Brits, Swedes and Romanians were content to travel farther afield, to Spain, Greece and Italy respectively.

In total there were more than one billion holidays taken among EU citizens in 2011, of which approximately one quarter were taken outside the country of residence.

In the Netherlands, 52 per cent of the population enjoyed a foreign trip in 2011, closely followed by the Brits (38 per cent) and the Germans (34 per cent).

These figures did not include trips made by non-EU nationals, although it is estimated that Spain would still snaffle top-spot despite France’s claim to be the world’s most visited country.

It is not hard to see why Spain is so popular. With one of the healthiest and most enjoyable climates in the world, a stunningly diverse landscape, brilliant beaches and resorts, and some of the cheapest and most frequent air travel routes available, Spain offers the complete holiday package.