In September, the Community of Madrid ranked as the sixth most popular destination in Spain for foreign tourists, attracting 817,242 visitors—an increase of 6.2% compared to last year. It also placed sixth in tourist spending, with visitors spending 1.441 billion euros, representing a 12.4% rise from September 2022.
According to Spain's National Institute of Statistics (INE), which includes surveys on tourist movements (Frontur) and tourist expenditure (Egatur), Spain welcomed over 73.9 million foreign tourists in the first nine months of the year. This figure reflects a 10.9% increase compared to the same period in 2022, when there were 66.64 million arrivals, marking a record high for the country.
Madrid's allure continues to grow, with a significant increase in foreign tourists. In September alone, the city welcomed 817,242 visitors, contributing to a total of approximately 6,637,915 foreign travelers for the year. This marks a promising 15.6% increase compared to the previous year, a clear sign of Madrid's growing popularity.
According to Egatur, the tourists spent 1.441 billion euros in the Community of Madrid during September, which is 12.4% more than in the same month last year. The average expenditure per tourist was 1,763 euros, reflecting a 5.8% increase, while the average daily expenditure was 357 euros, up 7% from the previous year. Tourists spent an average of 4.9 days in the region, which is a decrease of 1.1% compared to the same period last year.
In September 2024, the total expenditure of foreign tourists in Spain reached 99,086.29 million euros. Of this amount, 12,099 million euros were spent in Madrid. This reflects an annual growth rate of 16.91% for the entire country and an impressive increase of 24.01% in Madrid compared to the expenditures accumulated up to September of the previous year.
When examining the preferred destinations of these travelers, Catalonia leads with 21.4% of total arrivals. The Balearic Islands follow it at 18%, the Canary Islands at 14.9%, and Andalusia at 14.6%.
