During May 2013, Spain saw a 9.3% year on year increase in UK visitors to Spain, making it the largest international tourism market to the country and representing well over a quarter of all international visitors (27.1%).
In May 2013, Spain welcomed 5.8 million international tourists, representing a 7.4% year on year increase. For the same period, the UK saw a 9.3% yearly increase in visitors to Spain and accounted for well over a quarter (27.1%) of all international visitors. Between January and May 2013, Spain has welcomed in excess of 19.8 million international visitors representing a cumulative rise of 3.9% year on year.
Source Markets
During May 2013, Spain saw a 9.3% year on year increase in UK visitors to Spain, making it the largest international tourism market to the country and representing well over a quarter of all international visitors (27.1%). The Balearic Islands were the main destination of choice for Brits, welcoming almost one in three of all British visitors and registering a 10.8% rise in British visitors compared to the previous year.
For the same period, Germany was the second strongest market, capturing 17.3% of all international visitors to Spain and registering a 13.2% increase compared to May 2012. France was the third strongest source market representing 14% of all international visitors and seeing a 5.9% year on year rise in French visitors to Spain.
Cumulatively from January until the end of May 2013, Spain welcomed more than 19.8 million international tourists, up 3.9% year on year. The UK maintains its position as Spain’s strongest inbound market seeing a cumulative year on year rise of 4.4% and representing over 22% of all international visitors, followed by Germany (16.4%) and France (16.4%).
Key destinations
During May 2013, Catalonia welcomed 1.5 million tourists (+ 6.3%), marking its sixteenth consecutive month of growth, with France representing the strongest inbound visitor market to the northern Spanish region.
The Balearics followed closely registering 1.4 million tourists (+ 13.2%) with seven of every ten visitors coming from the UK or Germany.
Andalucia welcomed 781,000 tourists (+ 5.7%) in May, with the Nordic countries, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom collectively taking full responsibility for the year on year growth.
The Canary Islands saw in excess of 690,000 visitors (+ 8.5%), with the UK accounting for the majority of visitors with a significant year on year growth of 10.5%.
Expenditure
In May 2013, Spain saw a 8.9% year on year increase in tourism expenditure. From the UK alone, tourism expenditure rose by 13.8% for the same period, accounting for the largest share (> 20%) of the total.
From January until the end of May 2013, Spain benefitted from more than 18 million euros in tourism expenditure, representing a cumulative rise of 7.9% compared to the same period last year. The UK is accountable for the largest share of tourism expenditure (18.4%), followed by Germany (16.5%) and France (10%).
Cumulatively from January to the end of May, the average expenditure has grown (+1.4%) with visitors spending an average of €883.00 in total and 111.00 euros per day. For the UK alone, the average spend has increased by over 4% year on year to a total of 704.00 euros per person, and 91.00 euros per day. Interestingly the biggest spenders are the Dutch, with an average total spend of 919.00 euros and an average daily spend of 114.00 euros.
Other key statistics
- During May 2013, over 83% of all international visitors to Spain arrived by plane. Air travel to Spain saw an 8.2% increase whereas access by road grew by 4.9%.
- Whilst most visitors opted for hotel accommodation (66.6%), other types of accommodation saw a sharp rise (+24%).
- In terms of types of travel, package holidays dropped by 6.4%, capturing 28.8% of Spain’s visitor market.
Theodore is the Co-Founder and Managing Editor of TravelDailyNews Media Network; his responsibilities include business development and planning for TravelDailyNews long-term opportunities.
