Spain received more than 52.5 million foreign tourists in the first eight months of the year, representing an increase of 10.1% over the same period of 2015, according to the Survey of Tourist Traffic in Frontera (Frontur) released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
In August alone Spain welcomed 10.1 million foreign tourists, which is 5.8% more than in the same month last year.
From January to August, the UK, the main source market for Spain, recorded a rise of 13%, with more than 12.4 million visitors (23.6% of total). UK was followed by France with 8.3 million international tourists, representing an increase of 9.6% (and 15.8% of the total), and Germany, which recorded a growth of 4.9% to 7.6 million visitors (14.5%).
The Nordic countries reached the fourth position as to the biggest market with 6.8% of the total and 11.8% more tourists until August, reaching 3.46 million. Meanwhile, the number of tourists from Italy increased by 4.6% to over 2.86 million visitors.
United Kingdom Is the Leader
In August, the UK, the main source market of foreign tourists to Spain, recorded a rise of 3.9%, with more than 2.28 million visitors, representing 22.6% of total entries.
The effect of 'Brexit' was hardly visible over the eighth month of the year since the UK market is well positioned as the first source market in the Canary Islands (31.9%), Baleares (30.1%) and Andalusia (28.1%) and as a second source market in Valencia (24.6%) and Catalonia (11.6%).
It was followed by France with 2.22 million international tourists – 22% of the total – representing an increase of 9.7%. This market is ranked first in Valencia (34%) and Catalonia (31.9%) and as a second source market in Andalusia (16.7%) and the Community of Madrid (15.2 %).
Germany, the third source market experienced a decline of 0.2% to 1.36 million visitors, which accounted for 13.4% of total arrivals.
Catalonia, Balearic Islands and Andalusia, the Main Beneficiaries
Catalonia was the destination with the most visitors, with more than 12.58 million foreign tourists, up 4.3%, accounting for nearly 24% of all international arrivals.
Followed by the Balearic Islands, which received a total of 9.65 million foreign tourists, up 10.6%, with 18.4% of the total and the Canary Islands (16.43% of the total) that captured 8.62 million international tourists, 13% more.
Andalucía welcomed 7.39 million foreign visitors, up 13.4%, and Valencia registered the largest increase of 16.2% to 5.56 million visitors. Madrid is at the end of the list of the regions with the greatest tourist increase, with more than 3.72 million visitors, up 11.8%.