Newly released official data indicates a surge in British holidaymakers' enthusiasm for Spanish getaways, with both spending and duration on the rise.
According to statistics from the Spanish Tourist Office, British visitors splurged a staggering 2.2 billion euros in the initial two months of 2024, marking a notable uptick of 31.57% compared to the corresponding period last year. This surge significantly contributed to Spain's overall tourist expenditure, which soared to 13.2 billion euros during the same timeframe, reflecting a robust increase of 25.66% from the previous year.
Delving deeper into the trends, it's evident that British travelers are opting for more prolonged stays, with the average trip duration stretching to 8.2 days in January and February, representing a 7% upswing from 2023. Simultaneously, the financial outlay per voyage has also seen a notable boost, with an average expenditure of 1,260€ per trip, marking an impressive surge of over 13% compared to the same period last year. On a daily basis, British holidaymakers are shelling out an average of 153€, showcasing a 5.67% increase from 2023.
In terms of total spending demographics, Britons reign supreme, outpacing other nationalities with their robust financial contributions to Spain's tourism economy. The UK leads the pack with a whopping 2.2 billion euros expenditure, followed closely by Germans at 1.5 billion euros.
This data underscores the enduring allure of Spain for British tourists, highlighting a burgeoning trend of longer stays and increased spending, which bodes well for the country's tourism sector.
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Morgan WilliamsI totally agree with all you say, I just felt that I should point out the error in the figures you used for your calculation. Considering the consistent scaremongering by the MDB regarding the 'unfair plight' of Britons, constantly implying that Spain are trying to persecute them when, in fact, none of the highlighted problems are of Spain's making (e.g. the 90 day rule, introduction of E.E.S. which has been on the table since 2011 and which the U.K. were in favour of etc. etc.), they are all E.U. rules, it's a wonder that the number of British visitors is so high - presumably they're not readers of the tabloid press or the MDB!
Johnny CFair enough. However the point is that it's not the overwhelming majority it's framed to be, and in fact, the only way to make it a dominant number is to break down the "other" 80+% into pieces and compare to one of those pieces. And even then, it's not that impressive. Also, Brits are the only team competing in this tournament, so naturally, always win it. 🇬🇧 So, before we hear more threats of Brits abandoning Spain unless Brits are excepted from passport control, tourist tax, 90 day rule, or whatever other inconveniences (because Spain is so utterly dependent on that imaginarily dominant British money)... ...consider the view from this side of the channel: Even in the impossible event that Brits would completely vanish from Spanish soil, it still wouldn't make more than a small dent in the fender, and only make a bit more room for other growing tourist markets.
Morgan WilliamsWhilst your calculations are correct for the figures you're using, you are mixing 2 different sets of figures. The La Moncloa article is referring to 32 billion Euros over the first FOUR months of the year whilst the MDB's stated figure is 13.2 billion over the first TWO months of the year, of which 2.2 billion was spent by Britons. This increases the percentage to 16.67%. Not a huge percentage, but higher than any other nationality - allegedly (La Moncloa doesn't give a breakdown of nationalities).
"Spending by foreign tourists visiting Spain will grow by 25% in the first four months of the year, up to 32 billion euros." https://www.lamoncloa.gob.es/lang/en/gobierno/news/Paginas/2024/20240327-foreign-tourists-spending.aspx Using MDB maths: "In terms of total spending demographics, Britons reign supreme, outpacing other nationalities with their robust financial contributions to Spain's tourism economy. The UK leads the pack with a whopping 2.2 billion euros expenditure" Using normal maths: 32 billion / 2.2 billion = 14.5454. Percentage: 100 / 14.5454 = 6.875%
If they are British I think you will find they are travellers, not travelers.