Between January and September, Spain received more than 66.5 million tourists, 18.7% more than in 2022. The number is very close to the pre-pandemic figure, with a small difference of 0.65%. Some regions have already hit their 2019 figures.
The Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, the Autonomous Community of Madrid and the Autonomous Community of Valencia have already exceeded their pre-pandemic tourist numbers in the first nine months of the year. Andalucia and Catalonia still remain below 2019 levels.
Regions that received the most tourists
Catalonia is the region that received the most tourists so far this year. There were 14.7% more than in 2022, but still 9.4% below the 2019 level. The Balearic Islands are second with 12.5 million travellers. This is 3.3% more than the pre-pandemic level. The Canary Islands at number three, received 9.9 million tourists, 3.5% more than in 2019.
Andalucia follows in fourth place with 9.6 million travellers. However, this is almost 47,000 travellers less than in the same pre-pandemic period.
Also read: Beware of the Andalucian Crush
The Valencian Community surpassed 2019 by 5.4%, receiving eight million tourists. The Madrid region also saw a slight increase in tourist numbers compared to 2019. The region attracted 5.7 million tourists, a plus of 0.72%.
Figures relative to 2022
As for the cumulative figure for 2022, the Community of Madrid shows the highest growth in tourist numbers, with 31.2% more. This is followed by Andalucia (+22.7%), Catalonia (+22.2%), the Valencian Community (+20.4%), the Canary Islands (+14.1%) and the Balearic Islands (+8.6%).
