From the architectural wonders of Antoni Gaudi in Barcelona and Frank Gehry’s modern marvels at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, to the royal palaces of Madrid and the sandy beach getaways of Mallorca, Spain has long captivated visitors with its wide range of attractions. I did. The appeal has never been more appealing than last year, when a record 85.1 million international travelers visited the European country.
According to a recent report from the Madrid-based National Institute of Statistics, the number of visitors will increase by 19% in 2023 compared to 71.7 million the previous year. This number also exceeds the 2019 pre-pandemic record of 83.5 million (18.9 million in 2020, mid-pandemic, and 31.2 million in 2021).
Most people head to Catalonia, which accounts for 21.2 percent of international travelers. The northeast coast region anchors Barcelona and also includes the beaches of the Costa Brava.
Next, 16.9% went to the Balearic Islands, best known for Ibiza’s vibrant Mediterranean scene. The Canary Islands off the coast of North Africa accounted for 16.4%, Andalusia 14.3%, the Valencia region 12.3% and, perhaps surprisingly, the Madrid metropolitan area only 9.2%.
The majority of tourists head to Spain during the cooler months, with January being the busiest month for international tourists, followed by December, February, March and December.
Most of these travelers come from within Europe, with the UK having the largest number at 17.3 million, followed by France with 11.8 million and Germany with 10.8 million. The Netherlands and Italy also count 4.9 million visitors each.
The Office for National Statistics has warned that the first report is still preliminary and final figures will be published in March.
Overall, the country most visited by foreign tourists is France, followed by Spain in second place and the United States in third place, according to data from the United Nations World Tourism Organization.
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This article first appeared on www.travelandleisure.com.
Hero and Featured Image Credit: Pol Albarrán/Getty Images
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written by
Rachel Chan