Foreign tourism slows down, however factors to a report yr of 97 million vacationers in 2025 | Economy | EUROtoday

Foreign tourism to Spain slows down. The arrival of vacationers from different international locations in November 2025 solely grew by 2.1% yearly to five.78 million as a result of collapse in vacationer arrivals from France, the second issuing market behind the United Kingdom, which fell by 7.4% in comparison with the identical month final yr, based on information made public this morning by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).

This is the seventh consecutive month wherein the arrival of international vacationers doesn’t exceed the expansion of three%, which anticipates that the target set at the start of the yr of reaching 100 million vacationers for the primary time in historical past, and difficult France for world management in receiving vacationers, has develop into a chimera.

Between January and November, 91.48 million international vacationers arrived in the principle Spanish locations, with a cumulative progress of three.4%. If progress continues in December at round 3%, one thing confirmed by advance gross sales by journey companies and detailed resort occupancy, 2025 may shut near 97 million international vacationers, which, in any case, would represent the very best report in historical past.

All-time highs in spending

This slowdown in arrivals has not been accompanied by a slowdown in vacationer spending, weighed down largely by the sharp rise in costs. In November, the disbursement made by international vacationers grew by 5%, greater than double that of entries, to eight,094 million euros, whereas within the collected between January and November the determine climbed 6.9% to 126,707 million. If these will increase are repeated in December, spending may shut 2025 with one other report determine, exceeding €135 billion for the primary time.

Despite the slowdown in arrivals, the Ministry of Industry and Tourism most popular to see the glass half full moderately than half empty. “These data, as has been happening throughout the year, consolidate the trend of growth in destination spending above the increase in the pace of arrivals, somewhat more moderate in 2025 than last year. A statistical evolution that is in line with the Ministry’s commitment to a new tourism model, more sustainable and based on prioritizing quality over quantity, deconcentrating and deseasonalizing destinations and diversifying the offer,” he stated in a press release.

The division led by Jordi Hereu positioned particular emphasis on the 12.7% progress skilled by vacationers from the United Kingdom and people from America and Asia, with an annual enhance of seven.1%. The evaluation, nonetheless, didn’t ignore the adjustment skilled within the different two largest traveler supply markets: spending fell by 0.2% yearly in November in France, whereas in Germany, the adjustment widened to 0.8% in comparison with the identical interval in 2024.

Slowdown in arrivals to Madrid and Catalonia

The distribution of vacationers between the six most visited autonomies (Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, the Canary Islands, Andalusia, the Valencian Community and Madrid), which focus 90% of international tourism in Spain, exhibits a radically totally different image than on the finish of 2024. A yr in the past, the 2 areas that grew probably the most have been the Valencian Community and Madrid, with annual will increase of 14% and 12.5% in vacationer arrivals, whereas Catalonia consolidated itself as probably the most visited, with virtually 20 million vacationers and a rise of 9.7%.

In the primary eleven months of 2025, the biggest enhance corresponded to Andalusia, with 6.9% extra to 13.77 million vacationers, doubling the rise within the nationwide common. In second place was the Valencian Community, with a rise of 4.2% and 11.71 million vacationers, and in third got here the Canary Islands, whose progress was restricted to three.4% to 14.24 million. Outside the three most visited autonomies have been each Madrid and Catalonia, weighed down by their sturdy dependence on the French market. 8.45 million vacationers arrived in Madrid between January and November, simply 2.9% greater than in the identical interval in 2024, whereas the determine in Catalonia barely elevated by 1% to 19.06 million guests. Despite this, it stays probably the most visited autonomous group in Spain, though the hole with the Balearic Islands, the second most visited, has narrowed from 4.6 million vacationers in 2024 to three.5 million within the first eleven months of 2025.