Spain expects to receive 25.5 million international tourists in the second quarter of the year, from April to June, which means an increase of 8.9% in arrivals, with an associated increase in total spending of 9.3%, according to the estimations of the last Bulletin of Tourist Conjuncture, Coyuntur, prepared by the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism.
The forecasts calculated 36.500 million euros as the expense derived from the arrivals of foreign visitors to Spain between April and June. In this way, it is expected that the expenditure made by receiving tourism grow at a faster pace than arrivals.
In a statement, the Minister of Industry, Trade, and Tourism in office, Reyes Maroto, has highlighted that the data indicate that both arrivals and spending "gain momentum again", therefore you can expect "positive summer months in terms of tourism".
Tourism highlights that the cycle-trend series of tourist arrivals, hotel spending, and overnight stays are going through a phase of growth after a period of deceleration.
In this way, and according to the forecasts, in the first semester, 39.7 million foreign visitors would be reached, 7% more than in the first half of the year 2018, and the expense would touch the 41,900 million euros, with a growth of 7.4%.
Distinguishing between domestic travel in Spain and trips abroad, the latter shows a much more active behavior, notes the report.
By markets, forecasts point to a 1.4% growth in tourist arrivals from the United Kingdom, the main source market for Spain with more than 20% of the total, which would be converted into 5.7 million visitors, to reach 8.5 million in the first half of the year, a 0,4% more.
For Maroto, the data has a "very positive" reading and is the fruit of the delay of the exit of the United Kingdom from the EU, extended until the end of October, and the contingency plan applied to preserve the normal development of the "commercial luxuries and economic interests" of Spain.
Italy stands out for their good perspectives, which in the number of arrivals will grow by 12.9% in the second quarter, up to 1.2 million visitors, accumulating 2.1 million in the first half of the year, 10.5% more in regards the first semester of 2018.
From Germany is expected 11% more foreign tourist arrivals from April to June, which translates into 3.7 million, being thus the growth of 7.3% in the first semester (5.5 million).
In terms of France, 1.3% growth is expected in visitor arrivals in the second quarter and 0.9% in the semester, which would represent a flow of 3.2 million and 4.9 million visitors, respectively.
On the other hand, a slight fall of 0.8% in international tourists is expected coming from Nordic countries, up to 1.5 million visitors, so that it would close the first semester with 2.7 million, 3.4% less.
The report reflects that the British, German and French markets seem to have overcome the recent phase of contraction in arrivals all of them entering a phase of growth. Thus, the cycle-trend of arrivals from the UK decreasing since July 2017, and that by the end of 2018 began to recover, show a slight average growth of 0.6% in the first quarter of the year.
However, in the face of the expansionary phase with increasing growth rates in arrivals from Italy, the Nordic market is the only one, among the main emitters of tourists to Spain, which records falls in the entries of visitors to the country.
Regarding the air transport, the number of international flights to Spain grows 1.3% between May and June, according to Turespaña, which for the first time provides information on air capabilities from Spanish main source markets. The largest seat capacity increases occur in Austria (+47%) and Japan (+67%) in the period analyzed, against the strong declines in Poland (-19%) and Denmark (-16%).
