International tourists' spending in Spain reached EUR 52.551 million in the first ten months of the year, representing an improvement of 8.2% over the same period in 2012. Average daily spending rose 2.7%, up to EUR 109, while the average expenditure per tourist increased by 3.2% to EUR 970, according to a survey of tourist spending by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism.
The highest amounts until October were spent by British tourists with EUR 10.922 million, which accounted for 20.8% of the total, spending 7% more. They were followed by German tourists with EUR 8.569 million (up 6.2%), visitors from France with EUR 5.315 million (up 20.2%), and the Nordic countries with EUR 4.785 million (up 19%).
The expenditure was the highest in Catalonia with EUR 12.673 million, representing 24.1% of the total and an increase of 12.7% over the same period in 2012, followed by the Balearic Islands, with EUR 10,509,000, up 8.3%. Thirdly, Canary got a hoard of EUR 9.207 million, 8.5% more than in the same period last year. It was followed by Andalusia, with EUR 7.604 million, up 7.8%, and Valencia, with EUR 4.713 million euros, up 9%. Meanwhile, the Madrid was the only one in which the expenditure decreased by 1.2% to EUR 4.178 million.
In October, the total expenditure of international tourists amounted to EUR 5.476 million, 16.8% more than in the same month last year. Thus, in the tenth month of the year, the average expenditure per person stood at EUR 1.001, up 9.3%, while the average daily expenditure grew to EUR 117, up 6.6%.
In October, Catalonia led the total spending with EUR 1248 million, representing 22.8% of the total and an increase of 20.5% over the same period in 2012, followed by Canary Islands with EUR 1111 million, up 16%. In Baleares, third host community, tourist spending increased 18.3% to EUR 923 million, representing 16.9% of the total. Meanwhile, Andalusia received EUR 828 million of spending in October, up 16.4%, and captured 15.1% of the total.
Madrid managed to increase spending again after rebounding in September after four consecutive months of declines, to receive EUR 487 million, up 4.6% compared with the same month last year.
In Valencia, the tourist expenditure amounted to EUR 470 million in October, up 21.5% than the same month in 2012. For the rest of the autonomous communities the spending of foreign visitors as a whole increased by 17.1% to a total expenditure of EUR 410 million.
Spending by tourists staying in hotels (18.6%) increased more than tourists who opted for non-hotel accommodation (13.1%). Leisure travel accounted for 87% of total expenditure, with an annual growth of 19.7%