Spain sets a new record with 94 million international tourists last year

Tourists sit on a public bench at Plaza Mayor in downtown Madrid, Spain, April 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue, File)

MADRID, Spain — A record 94 million international travelers visited Spain in 2024 in the best year for tourism in the country since records started, the tourism minister said Wednesday.

It was Spain’s second record-breaking year since 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic that paralyzed international leisure travel, as tourism has rebounded globally. The surge in arrivals comes at a time when a housing crisis in Spain has put tourist accommodation in the spotlight.

Spain ranks as the second most popular destination globally, after France, on the U.N. World Tourism Barometer.

The number of foreign visitors in 2024 improved by 10% on the mark set in 2023, when 83.5 million people visited the country, Industry and Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu said.

The income from foreign visitors reached 126 billion euros (US$129.8 billion) in the past 12 months, up 16% from the 108.7 billion euros ($117 billion) spent in 2023, the minister said. Tourism accounts for 12.3% of the country’s gross domestic product.

Spain is one of the most popular sun and beach destinations, but 32% more travelers said they visited the country last year for cultural reasons and culinary travel increased by 28%, compared to 2019, according to the Tourism Ministry.

Travel outside of the summer months and a rise in popularity of inland destinations — beyond Barcelona, the Mediterranean and Canary islands — have been keys to the new mark, the ministry said.Besides its traditional European market, the Spanish tourism sector has recorded an increase in visitors from the United States, Latin America and Asia.

Many countries have set new tourism records following the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, international arrivals have reached 98% of 2019 levels in January-September 2024, according to the U.N. barometer.

The Associated Press