Spain Tourism Hits New January High

Spain registered about 5.1 million international visitors during January 2026, 1.2% more than in the same month of 2025 and setting a new record for the month. The United Kingdom remained the leading source of tourists, sending 897,095 visitors, a 3.3% increase compared to January 2025. Germany accounted for 527,327 tourists (–2%), while France lagged behind, with 517,788 arrivals (-19.5%). The most common length of stay for tourists was four to seven nights, with over 2.2 million visitors, reflecting a 2.1% year-on-year increase. In contrast, day-trippers decreased by 2.2%, while tourists staying more than 15 nights fell sharply by 9.1%. The Canary Islands was the top tourist destination, receiving 1.4 million tourists, a 4.9% increase compared to January 2025. It was followed by Catalonia with 1 million visitors, down 6.2%, and the Community of Madrid, with 0.8 million, up 8.8%.

Spain received approximately 5.3 million international tourists in December 2025, 0.4% more than in the same month in 2024 and setting a new record for the month. The UK remained the leading country of residence, totaling 900,208 tourists (+0.1% versus December 2024), followed by France with 707,513 (-8.4%) and Germany with 596,042 (-4.4%). In 2025, tourist arrivals peaked at nearly 96.8 million, the highest level on record, 3.2% more than in 2024. This figure, however, fell short of the initial government forecast of 100 million visitors, due to the significant increase in prices, particularly for hotels, and the decline in arrivals from France (-1%), Spain's second-largest tourist market. Catalonia was the most visited autonomous community, receiving nearly 20.1 million tourists, a 0.6% increase compared to 2024. It was followed by the Balearic Islands with 15.7 million visitors, up 2.6%, and the Canary Islands, which also welcomed 15.7 million tourists, marking a 3.0% rise.

Spain received 5.8 million international tourists in November 2025, 2.1% more than in the same month of 2024 and setting a new milestone for the month. The United Kingdom accounted for the highest number of tourists, surpassing one million visitors (+4.7%), followed by France and Germany with 695,770 (-7.4%) and 667,931 (+2.7%) tourists, respectively. In the first 11 months of 2025, the number of international tourists arriving in Spain reached almost 91.5 million, a record high. Stays of four to seven nights were the most frequent, totaling almost 2.7 million tourists and marking a 1.3% year-on-year decrease. In contrast, the number of day-trippers rose by 1.6%, while stays of more than 15 nights fell by 10.4%. The Canary Islands were the top tourist destination in November, accounting for 25.3% of the total and recording a 0.9% increase compared to November 2024, followed by Catalonia (22.0%, +0.9%) and Andalusia (14.3%, +6.3%).