Spain Tourism Hits Record: 36.8M Visitors, €50.3B Spending Through May

Spain has set a new tourism record for the first five months of 2026, welcoming 36.8 million international visitors — a 5% increase year-on-year — who spent a record €50.257 billion, up 7.8% from 2025. Source: elconfidencial

Key figures

• International arrivals: 36.8 million, +5% Source: lavanguardia
• Total spending: €50,257 million, +7.8% Source: elconfidencial
• Average spend per tourist in May: €1,321, +1.2% Source: elconfidencial

Top destinations and origins

Catalonia was the leading destination with 7.5 million tourists (+4%), followed by Canary Islands (6.8M) and Andalusia (5.8M, +8%) Source: elconfidencial. The United Kingdom remained the top source market with over 7 million visitors, followed by France and Germany (over 4.5 million each) Source: lavanguardia.

May boom

In May alone, 10.3 million tourists visited Spain (+9.5%), spending €13.553 billion (+10.9%) Source: elconfidencial. Catalonia attracted 21.1% of May tourists, with Baleares (20.6%) and Andalusia (15.9%) close behind.