During the first quarter of 2018, Spain welcomed 13.7 million international tourists, which represents an increase of 6% compared to the first quarter of 2017 according to latest figures released from Tourist Movements in Border (FRONTUR).
In addition, its expenditure was €14.735 million euros, up 7.7% on same period in 2017 according to figures released by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
Tourists staying in holiday rental accommodation accounted for nearly 1.4 million visitors, up 9.5% on the previous year.
In March, the month in which Holy Week was celebrated this year, Spain received 5.4 million tourists (up 9.6% on March 2017) who spent €5.727 million euros, which represents an increase of 12.1%.
The month of March also saw nearly 600,000 visitors staying in self-catering accommodation, up 27.5% on the previous year.
International Tourists
Among the main emitting markets in the first quarter, the United Kingdom stands out, with almost 2.9 million tourists arriving from the UK - an increase of 0.4% with respect to the same period of 2017. Germany is the second biggest emitting market with approximately 1.9 million tourists - an increase of 7.9%, and France is in third place, with almost 1.7 million tourists and a growth of 0.7%.
By Destination
The Canary Islands was the most popular autonomous community, with more than 3.7 million international visitors, which represents an increase of 1.7% over the same period last year. In second place, Catalonia received almost 3.1 million and a growth of 3.4%, and in third place, Andalusia welcomed more than 1.9 million and an increase of 4.4%.
By Spending
The Canary Islands is the destination with the highest tourist spending with €4.480 million, an increase of 3.6% compared to the first three months of 2017, followed by Catalonia with €3.098 million, up 10.4%, and Andalusia with €2.171 million and an increase of 9.8%.
The biggest spenders are the Brits, with an expenditure of €2.634 million, followed by Germany, with €1.935 million and the Nordic countries with €1.685 million.
