Spain registered a record 58.1 million international visitors between January and July 2026, a 4.6% increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).
In July alone, Spain attracted 11.5 million tourists. Tourism revenues for the month reached €18.22 billion, up 10.9% from July 2025. Visitor spending was largely split among accommodation, package holidays, and international transport, which accounted for 19.8%, 19.3%, and 19.2% of expenditures respectively.
Source Markets and Visitor Numbers
The United Kingdom remained Spain’s largest source market with 11.5 million arrivals from January to July 2026, reflecting a 4.6% increase year-on-year. France sent over
7.2 million visitors during this period, a 1.2% rise, while arrivals from Germany slightly declined by 0.5% to approximately 6.9 million. Italy contributed about 3.5 million tourists, up 10.3%. Visitors from other countries increased by 16.9%, totaling 717,000 arrivals.
Regional Tourism Trends
Catalonia was the top destination, receiving 11.94 million international tourists between January and July 2026, an increase of 2.9%. The Balearic Islands drew 9.16 million visitors, up 1.8%, while the Canary Islands saw a slight decline of 0.6% in arrivals to 9.02 million. Andalusia matched the Canary Islands with 9.02 million tourists but grew by 8.2% year-on-year.
Madrid and the Valencian
Community recorded the strongest growth among major regions during the first seven months, increasing arrivals by 9.6% and 8.9% respectively. In July, the Valencian Community welcomed 1.63 million visitors, up 9.5%, while Madrid registered around 800,000 tourists, an 11% increase.
Visitor Behavior and Spending
Most tourists in July stayed between four and seven nights, with 5.7 million visitors in this category, reflecting an 8.7% increase year-on-year. Independent travelers dominated, with approximately 8.5 million international tourists arriving without package deals, compared to about 3.1 million traveling as part of package holidays.
Accommodation spending was the largest single category in July, comprising 19.8% of international visitor
expenditure, closely followed by spending on package holidays and international transport.
Outlook and Long-Term Forecasts
Spain set a record in 2025 with 96.8 million international tourists and is on track to surpass 100 million arrivals in 2026 if the current growth trajectory continues. Tourist arrivals through July 2026 already exceed the pace needed for this milestone.
A study conducted by Deloitte and Google projects Spain could overtake France as the world’s most visited country by 2040, reaching 110 million annual visitors. In comparison, France received about 102 million tourists in 2025 and is forecast to reach 105 million by 2040.
Despite fewer visitors, Spain
outpaced France in international tourism spending in 2025, generating €134.7 billion compared to France’s €77.5 billion.
Spain faces challenges managing the economic, social, and environmental impacts of growing tourism volumes. Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu supports a strategy of ‘calm growth’ focusing on increasing tourism’s economic value, spreading visitors geographically and seasonally, and promoting inland, cultural, gastronomic, and nature tourism.
Analysts behind the Deloitte and Google study stated the forecast aims to “help travel operators and distributors anticipate and adapt to future trends”.
