According to figures published by the ITE (Instituto de Turismo España), Spain enjoyed record breaking tourist figures during the month of May.

(TRAVPR.COM) SPAIN - July 3rd, 2014 - According to figures published by the ITE (Instituto de Turismo España), Spain enjoyed record breaking tourist figures during the month of May and registered a whopping 21.4 million foreign tourists in total from January to May 2014, up 8.2% year-on-year.  

During the month of May alone, 6.1 million holidaymakers visited the Spanish mainland and islands, a 5.7% year on year increase and a record in the history of Spanish tourism. 

Nationality league table

The British and French markets were highlighted. With over 300,000 more British tourists visiting Spain this year compared with 2013; accounting for 22% of all tourists during the period. Over 340,000 more French were registered for the same period. German tourists accounted for 16.6% of all incoming foreign visitors, an 8.1% year-on-year increase. 

British tourists chose the Balearic and Canary Islands and Andalucia for their holidays, with the Valencian Community, Catalonia and Madrid seeing a year on year decrease in British visitors.  

During January to May, the Italian market grew a substantial 14.8% year on year and the Belgian market 12,4%; however, visitors rates from Scandinavia and Russia slowed down. 

Popular destinations

Catalonia was the most popular destination for foreign tourists during the January - May period, with just over 25% of all tourists choosing to travel to the region (5.450.843), a 2.3% rise on 2013 figures. The Canary Islands was the second most popular destination, receiving 4.854.476 visitors (22.5%), although the region saw a -15.2% decline in Scandinavian visitors. Andalucía came in at third place with 2.881.969 visitors (13.5%).  

Domestic travel

Figures published for January-February 2014 show domestic travellers booked more weekend breaks than other type of holiday, two in every three trips being a weekend break and most travellers choosing the train (12.9%) to get them to their destination. Favourite destinations for Spanish holidaymakers during this period were: Andalucia (1,251,190), Catalonia (1,148,585) and the Valencian Community (840,445). In total 8.2 million domestic travellers took a holiday during the first two months of the year, up 3% year-on-year.  

Accommodation types

In terms of accommodation type, statistics show that hotels are still selling at a 2:1 ratio compared to their nearest ‘rival’, that of non-hotel accommodation, which groups together: Serviced Tourist Apartments, Rural Accommodation and Camping. It’s encouraging to see that Holiday Rentals have been included into the mix, but the figures are in no way a true indication of the size of this sector, as most regions still don’t recognise or register ‘private holiday accommodation’.  

Check out our Spanish Tourism Infographic which reveals the full measure of Spain’s record breaking first half-year figures. Available at: http://www.spain-holiday.com/rentalbuzz/spain-registers-record-breaking-tourism-figures

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