Tourists spend more money in Spain than anywhere else bar the USA

Ranked on tourist spend, Spain is the world's second-most popular destination

A recent study by the United Nations World Tourism Organization has revealed that foreign tourists spent a whopping $55.9bn (€42.11bn) in Spain in 2012 – a figure beaten only by the USA, where an unsurpassable $126.2bn (€95.6bn) was spent in the 12 months of last year.

The research was carried out to discover which country receives the most foreign visitors a year…

France took top spot, with 83 million tourists entering the country last year. However, when broken down further, the figures give credence to the belief that a large majority of visitors to France are just ‘passing through’.

Although 83 million people visited France, foreign tourists spent just $53.6bn (€40.37bn), with the average visitor spending $645.8 per head (€486.44) compared to Spain’s $866.6 (€652.76). In fact, 83 per cent of all visitors to France come from other European countries, which goes some way to explaining why the expenditure per head is so low – many will be camping, or purchasing goods in supermarkets, or merely visiting one or two destinations before moving on.

Overall, Spain received 57.7 million foreign visitors in 2012, placing the country joint-third on the list, behind France and the USA (67 million) and tied with China. Italy was fifth, drawing in 46.4 million foreign tourists last year.

Barcelona was Spain’s most popular city, receiving 8.41 million overnight stays last year, putting it some way behind the world leader, Bangkok, which registered an incredible 15.98 million overnight stays in 2012, pipping London in second place, with 15.96 million overnight stays.