Lorraine Williamson
Visitor numbers rose 2.5% on the same period last year, with spending growing even faster — and Semana Santa giving March a significant boost.
Spain welcomed more than 17.5 million international tourists in the first three months of 2026, according to the latest figures, representing a 2.5% increase on the same period in 2025. The numbers point to another strong year for one of the world’s most visited countries, with spending rising even faster than arrivals.
Visitors spent a combined total of 25,017 million euros during the quarter — a rise of 6.3% year on year. The fact that spending outpaced visitor numbers suggests that tourists are not only coming in greater numbers but are also spending more while they are here, a pattern that will be welcomed by an industry that has increasingly focused on attracting higher-value tourism.
The UK leads, France falls back
The UK remained Spain’s largest single source market in the first quarter. Almost 3.2 million British tourists travelled to Spain between January and March, an increase of 2.3% compared with the same period in 2025. Germany followed with nearly 2.1 million visitors, up 1.2%.
France was the one notable exception in an otherwise positive picture. Just over 2 million French tourists visited Spain in the first quarter, but that figure represented a fall of 5.9% — making France the only major source market to record a clear decline during the period.
Canary Islands and Andalucia drive regional growth
The Canary Islands retained their position as Spain’s most popular destination for international visitors, receiving 4.5 million tourists in the first quarter, a rise of 2.8%. The islands benefit from a year-round tourist season and remain a particular favourite among Northern European travellers during the winter and early spring months.
Andalucia delivered one of the strongest regional performances, welcoming 2.7 million international tourists — a rise of 5.9%. The region’s combination of cities, coastline, culture and gastronomy continues to draw visitors in growing numbers, and the figure will provide a further boost to a regional economy already in the midst of an election campaign.
Catalonia received 3.5 million visitors but recorded a decline of 2.6%, bucking the national trend and suggesting that some of the pressure around overtourism in Barcelona and other parts of the region may be having an effect on visitor numbers.
March peak — Semana Santa makes Its mark
March was the busiest single month of the quarter, with 6.8 million international tourists arriving in Spain — 3.3% more than in March 2025. The strong performance was driven in part by the timing of Semana Santa, the Easter holy week, which fell largely within March this year and traditionally generates a significant spike in both domestic travel and international arrivals.
The United Kingdom was again the leading source for March, providing 1.27 million visitors. Germany followed with 924,088 tourists and France with 798,671. Notably, the French market showed a partial recovery in March, specifically, growing by 4.4% for that month — suggesting the quarterly decline may reflect particular weakness in January and February rather than a sustained shift in French travel behaviour towards Spain.
Hotels gain ground as apartments slip
The type of accommodation visitors chose also shifted slightly during the period. Hotel stays increased by 9.1%, a substantial rise that will be welcomed by the traditional hospitality sector. Stays in tourist apartments, by contrast, declined slightly — a development that comes amid ongoing political debate in Spain about the regulation of short-term rental platforms and their impact on housing costs in major cities and tourist destinations.
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