International tourists flock to Spain

SPAIN received more than 22.5 million tourists in the first five months of the year, up 5.1 per cent from last year’s numbers. Just in the month of May, some 6.5 million tourists entered the country in search of Spain’s pleasant climate and celebrated beaches.
Catalonia leads as the autonomous community with the most foreign visitors, boasting 25.5 per cent of the influx – an impressive 5.7 million tourists! Close on its heels in the race to attract tourists, the Canary Islands welcomed 4.8 million foreign visitors – 21.6 per cent of the total – to its golden shores. Andalucia was the third most popular destination, luring in 3.1 million international tourists, 13.8 per cent of all entries thus far this year.
The international tourists hail from around the globe, with the UK leading the charge at 22 per cent of the total entries, an impressive 4.9 million British tourists from January to May. Next up are France, with 3.7 million tourists – 16.4 per cent of this year’s total and up 8.2 per cent from last year – and Germany, with 3.6 million tourists and 16.1 per cent of the total entries, a 3.1 per cent increase from last year.
On the decline are tourists from Nordic countries – down 5.7 per cent with 1.88 million arrivals – and Russia, down 28.7 per cent with only 241,940 travellers so far this year.