Spain’s tourist sector hits new highs, with record spending in July
New figures show that average expenditure per visitor grew 5.6% from July 2016 to reach €1,132
More international tourists came to Spain in July than during any other month on record: 10.5 million foreign visitors. But that’s not all: they also spent more money on their trip. According to new figures released by Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE), average visitor expenditure was €1,132, representing an increase on the same month last year of 5.6%. And daily average expenditure per tourist grew 6% from July 2016 to reach €139 a day.
![Tourists outside Seville’s cathedral.](https://imagenes.elpais.com/resizer/v2/LLWMN7Y55SYFWKB775NW32OSOE.jpg?auth=fd1f923daad34e57a95a1a014f6a17c6f59e4e53aece0de298e6cdf5f55da468&width=414)
Overall, international visitors spent a joint €11.9 billion, which is 16.3% more than in July 2016.
This does not necessarily mean that all the money stayed in Spain. This official survey includes all the travel expenses incurred by inbound tourists, including the plane ticket and the taxi to the airport, for instance.
But all categories showed spending upticks, from lodging to restaurants.
Tourist expenditure by main destination grew in nearly all regions of Spain, most notably in Andalusia and the Balearic Islands
The average duration of the trip was 8.2 days, practically the same amount of time as over the same period last year.
Broken down by nationalities, citizens from Nordic countries spent the most, at an average of €1,255 per trip, followed by German visitors (€1,082) and British tourists (€1,013). Visitors from Latin America and Asia are included in the “Rest of the World” category, which shows an average expenditure by tourist of €1,429 – partly because flights from outside Europe are more expensive and partly because these visitors tend to stay longer.
Tourist expenditure by main destination grew in nearly all regions of Spain, most notably in Andalusia and the Balearic Islands.
In terms of how the trip was organized, only package tours showed a 3.8% drop in spending, down to €2.4 billion. Out-of-package expenditures were a global €9.5 billion, a figure that includes transportation, accommodation, food and drink, and activities.
English version by Susana Urra.
Tu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo
¿Quieres añadir otro usuario a tu suscripción?
Si continúas leyendo en este dispositivo, no se podrá leer en el otro.
FlechaTu suscripción se está usando en otro dispositivo y solo puedes acceder a EL PAÍS desde un dispositivo a la vez.
Si quieres compartir tu cuenta, cambia tu suscripción a la modalidad Premium, así podrás añadir otro usuario. Cada uno accederá con su propia cuenta de email, lo que os permitirá personalizar vuestra experiencia en EL PAÍS.
En el caso de no saber quién está usando tu cuenta, te recomendamos cambiar tu contraseña aquí.
Si decides continuar compartiendo tu cuenta, este mensaje se mostrará en tu dispositivo y en el de la otra persona que está usando tu cuenta de forma indefinida, afectando a tu experiencia de lectura. Puedes consultar aquí los términos y condiciones de la suscripción digital.