In Spain, spending by international tourists is climbing, and it is now outpacing the growth in visitor numbers.
Latest figures from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística show that tourists spent €9.6 billion in March 2026. That’s a 5.4% increase compared to the same month last year. Over the same period, arrivals rose by 3.3% to just over 6.8 million visitors.
This gap is becoming a clear trend. In the first quarter, total tourist spending topped €25 billion, up 6.3% year-on-year. Meanwhile, arrivals reached 17.5 million, a smaller increase of 2.5%.
In simple terms, Spain is not just attracting more visitors. It’s attracting visitors who spend more.
Tourist spending in Spain
The United Kingdom remains the biggest contributor, accounting for 14.9% of total spending in March, although overall spending stayed stable.
Germany followed with 13.4% and posted a slight increase. Spending from Nordic countries dipped slightly.
Meanwhile, travellers from the “rest of the world” category boosted their spending by more than 10%, marking one of the biggest shifts.
Regional picture
At a regional level, the Canary Islands led the way, taking 25.8% of all tourist spending in March.
Andalucía and Cataluña followed with 17.7% and 17% respectively.
Visitor numbers tell a slightly different story. The UK again ranked first with nearly 1.3 million tourists, followed by Germany with just over 924,000 and France with close to 800,000 visitors.
How tourists are travelling
Spending per visitor also increased. On average, each tourist spent €1,411, while daily spending reached €198, up 4.8% year-on-year.
Most visitors stayed between four and seven nights. More than 5.3 million travelled independently, without package holidays.
The Canary Islands remained the most visited destination in March. Cataluña and Andalucía followed, although Cataluña saw a slight dip in arrivals while Andalucía recorded strong growth.
A shift in tourism trends
Overall, the figures highlight a steady shift in Spain’s tourism model.
Growth no longer depends only on higher visitor numbers. Instead, it increasingly comes from higher spending per traveller, a trend that strengthens the sector’s long-term value.
