Spain has consolidated its position as one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world, with data showing that 35 million overseas tourists arrived between January and May. This represents a 5.5% increase compared to the same period in 2024 and generated revenue of nearly €46.6 billion, an 8.1% rise. Spending growing faster than visitor numbers is itself a notable signal, since it suggests tourists are spending more per trip rather than the market simply attracting a larger volume of budget travellers.
Where Tourists Are Coming From
The majority of tourists came from the UK, with almost 6.8 million visitors, up 6.9%, followed by France with around 4.6 million, up 3.9%, and Germany with over 4.5 million, up 1.8%. In terms of expenditure, British tourists led with 16.9% of total spending, followed by Germans at 12.5% and the French at 8.1%. Together, these three markets account for well over a third of total tourist spending in Spain, underlining just how concentrated demand still is around a handful of core Northern European source markets.
The UK’s continued dominance as Spain’s top source market has implications well beyond hotel bookings. We looked at what that trend means specifically for Andalucía’s property market in our report on how the UK became Spain’s leading tourism market, since a large share of repeat British visitors eventually convert into second home buyers along the coast.
Regional Winners
At the regional level, Catalonia topped the list with 7.3 million visitors, an increase of 2.2%, followed by the Canary Islands with 6.8 million, up 4.1%, and Andalusia with 5.4 million, up 9.6%. Within Andalusia, the Costa del Sol continues to account for a disproportionate share of both visitor numbers and spending, given the concentration of hotels, second homes, and international flight connections into Málaga.
Andalusia’s 9.6% growth rate stands out as the fastest among the three leading regions, and comfortably ahead of the 5.5% national average. For a region that already competes with Catalonia and the Canary Islands for visitor numbers, outpacing both on growth suggests demand for the Costa del Sol specifically is accelerating rather than simply riding the national wave.
May in Detail
In May alone, Spain received 9.4 million tourists, a 1.5% increase year on year. Spending reached a new high at over €12.2 billion, up 4.9%, with an average stay of 6.9 days. Leisure travel accounted for 84% of May’s spending, up 4.6%. Hotels were the preferred lodging option, representing 68.2% of overnight stays, up 1.6%, while stays with family and friends or in private holiday homes saw a 10% spending increase.
That final detail, a double digit rise in spending on private holiday homes even as hotels held their share of overnight stays, is a useful signal for the property market. It points to more visitors either owning or renting private accommodation directly, rather than relying solely on hotels, which tends to support both the holiday rental market and demand for second homes in established tourist regions like the Costa del Sol.
Taken together, these figures describe a tourism sector that is not just recovering but genuinely expanding, both in visitor numbers and in the amount each visitor spends. For a region like the Costa del Sol, where tourism and the property market are closely linked, sustained growth of this kind tends to feed directly into demand for both holiday rentals and second homes over the following seasons.
