The high season once again attracts international tourists to Spain

Spain’s tourism sector has benefited from the redirection of tourist flows following the outbreak of the conflict in the Middle East, as tourists have found Spain to be a safe and equally attractive destination.1

This high season, Spain received 1.8 million more international tourists than last year (+5.7% year-on-year between June and August), bringing the cumulative growth since January to 5.4%. The United Kingdom remains the main source market for tourists and in 2026 it showed significant growth, as part of a wider recovery following several years of very modest advances. Tourist flows from Eastern European countries, the US, Switzerland and Italy also recorded notable growth rates and their share of total international demand continues to increase. The Rest of America market, which includes Latin America, also stands out as the most dynamic so far in 2026, although its growth rate slowed during the summer months. In contrast, Germany and France, two of the main markets for the Spanish sector, experienced weaker-than-expected growth.

Foreign tourist spending also maintained momentum during the peak season, with an 8.3% year-on-year increase. This growth was supported both by the increase in arrivals and by high tourism inflation (around 4% in the same period). The average expenditure per tourist rose by 2.4% between June and August, below the rise in tourism prices and last year’s figure (3.8%). By source market, data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on average expenditure per tourist indicates a particularly positive trend among German tourists, which more than offset the weakness observed among British tourists. By category, our indicator of total expenditure by international tourists2 shows a particularly favourable pattern in catering, with a growth rate of 15.9%, while spending on retail and leisure advanced almost in line with the aggregate figure and accommodation recorded more moderate growth (see second chart).