International visitors in Spain spent 73.124 billion euros in the first eleven months of 2016, an increase of 8.4% over the same period in 2015, according to EGATUR, a survey of foreign tourists spending, released by the National Statistics Institute (INE).
Without counting the month of December, the figure has already surpassed the figure for 2015 when 68 million visitors in Spain spent 67.385 billion euros (6.8% more than in the previous year), overcoming the historical record for arrivals for the third consecutive year.
From January to November, the United Kingdom was the country with the highest overall tourists spending, with 21% of the total and an expenditure of 15.336 billion euros, 12.2% more than in the same period in 2015, and without being negatively impacted by Brexit.
Germany followed in the ranking of foreign tourists spending the most with 10.573 billion euros, 14.5% of the total, representing an increase of 4.7%, and France, with 6.502 billion euros i.e., 8.9% of the total and an increase of 7.6%.
In addition, in the first eleven months of 2016, the main destination communities with the highest total expenditure are Catalonia (with 22.4% of the total), the Canary Islands (18.7%) and the Balearic Islands (17. 6%).
Between January and October, British tourists spent an average of 904 euros per visitor (-0.04%), with an average daily spending of 113 euros (+ 2%). Average stay was 8 days, down 2.6%. In November, British tourists increased the annual spending rate by 17.7%, spending 776 million euros.
As in October, these results show that there are still no negative effects on spending by British tourists in Spain post-Brexit, although they are still shortening their stay in the country.
They were followed by the arrivals from Germany – German visitors spent 985 euros (-1.3%) between January and November, with an average daily spending of 119 euros (+ 6.3%). Average stay lasted 8 days, a decrease of 7.2%. In November, they spent 3.5% more or 530 million euros.
Arrivals from France, with spending of 6.502 billion euros and an increase of 7.6%, accounted for 8.9% of total expenditure. Average expenditure per French visitor was 604 euros (+ 0.4%), with an average daily spending of 84 euros (-1.2%). The average stay was seven days, up 1.8%. In November, they spent 291 million euros, down 8.9%.
In November, the total foreign tourists spending amounted to 4.195 billion euros, an increase of 8.3% over the same month the previous year.
Average spending per tourist stood at 1,023 euros in November, with an annual decrease of 0.8%, while average daily spending increased by 6.5% compared to the same month in 2015, amounting to 138 euros.
The average trip by international tourists lasted 7.4 days in the eleventh month of the year, a decrease of 0.5 days compared to the same month in 2015.
The main destination communities with the greatest foreign tourists spending in November are the Canary Islands, with 31.3% of the total, Catalonia (23.4%) and Andalusia (13.6%).