The National Institute of Statistics, INE, has published data indicating that between January and October of this year, the United States has become the most important long-haul source market regarding spending by tourists in Spain.
The total generated revenue amounted to 6.8 million euros, a 37% increase from the same period in 2019. Furthermore, almost 3.5 million North American tourists visited Spain from January to October, 17% higher than the pre-pandemic level.
American tourists visit Catalonia the most, accounting for 38% of their spending. The Community of Madrid comes in second at 26%, followed by Andalusia at 10%, the Balearic Islands at 10%, and Galicia at 4%. Unlike European tourists, American visitors do not have a defined seasonality, as they tend to arrive in May through August, which accounts for 46% of their arrivals.
When it comes to activities, American tourists often enjoy visiting cities (68%), shopping (58%), cultural visits (62%), and trying out the local cuisine (34%). The number of flights planned from the United States to Spain has grown significantly, with a year-on-year increase of 27.3%.
Turespaña has been experiencing rapid growth in the number of travelers from the United States. This indicates that the organization’s strategy to attract long-haul travelers works well. Such travelers tend to stay longer and spend more at their destination. This, in turn, helps improve air connectivity and projects Spain as a sustainable and quality destination.
Throughout this year, Turespaña has undertaken several initiatives to reinforce growth, increase in-destination spending, and promote sustainability.
One of these initiatives was the presentation of the global campaign ‘Legends of Spain’ in New York on November 14, organized by the Ministry of New York in collaboration with National Geographic. The current edition of the campaign highlights the historical and environmental wealth of Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and the Canary Islands.
Additionally, Turespaña organized a presentation of Spanish destinations during the Annual Conference of the Signature network of American agents, which specializes in high-end products.
Turespaña has a partnership agreement with Signature, which provides access to over 280 partner agencies in the U.S. These agencies have an annual turnover of around 11 billion dollars. Out of the 1,076 agents who specialize in premium tourism, 158 sell Spanish destinations, and 85 are proficient in Spanish. Turespaña has four offices in the U.S. located in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York.
