Spain welcomed a record 58.1 million international tourists between January and July 2026, reflecting a 4.6% increase compared to the same period in 2025, according to figures released by the Spain National Statistics Institute (INE). In July alone, the country attracted 11.5 million international visitors, also up 4.6% year-on-year.
Tourism revenues grew faster than visitor numbers, with international tourists spending €82.05 billion from January through July 2026. This represents a 7.8% increase over the same period in 2025.
Key Source Markets
The United Kingdom remained Spain’s top source market with 11.5 million visitors in the first seven months of 2026, marking a 4.6%
rise since 2025. France followed with over 7.2 million tourists, up 1.2%, while Germany accounted for approximately 6.9 million visitors, a slight decrease of 0.5%. Italy showed the strongest growth among major markets, posting a 10.3% increase to 3.5 million visitors.
Visitors from other countries also rose sharply by 16.9%, reaching 717,000 arrivals during the same period.
Regional Visitor Statistics
Catalonia was the most visited autonomous community from January to July 2026, receiving 11.94 million international tourists, up 2.9% from 2025. The Balearic Islands welcomed 9.16 million visitors, a 1.8% increase. The Canary Islands saw a slight decline of 0.6%, with 9.02 million
international tourists. Andalusia also recorded 9.02 million visitors but posted strong growth of 8.2%.
Madrid and the Valencian Community experienced the highest regional growth rates with increases of 9.6% and 8.9%, respectively, for the January-to-July period. In July 2026, the Valencian Community attracted 1.63 million visitors, a 9.5% increase, while Madrid drew about 800,000 tourists, up 11% year-on-year.
Tourism Trends and Forecasts
Spain exceeded 96.8 million international visitors in 2025 and is on track to surpass 100 million arrivals in 2026, with a 4.6% growth rate in the first seven months. Maintaining this pace projects around 101 million visitors for the full year.
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Deloitte and Google study forecasts that Spain could reach 110 million international tourists annually by 2040, overtaking France, which recorded 102 million visitors in 2025. The study aims to “help travel operators and distributors anticipate and adapt to future trends,” according to its authors.
Despite having fewer visitors, Spain generated €134.7 billion in international tourism expenditure in 2025, surpassing France’s €77.5 billion, underlining the country’s increasing economic value from tourism.
Tourism Policy and Growth Strategy
Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu has promoted a strategy of “calm growth” focusing on enhancing economic returns, dispersing visitors across regions and through different seasons, and encouraging inland, cultural, gastronomic, and
nature tourism.
With 58.1 million international tourists recorded through July, Spain’s tourism sector faces the challenge of managing growth’s economic, social, and environmental impacts amid extraordinary visitor numbers.
