Spain set for record tourist numbers in 2024 after first-half jump

The number of foreign tourists in Spain jumped 13 per cent in the first-half of 2024, putting the country on track for another record year for visitor numbers despite growing discontent over the impact of the holiday industry in some tourist hotspots.

For the six months to the end of June, 42.5 million international visitors arrived in Spain, with the month of June alone recording a 12 per cent rise to 9 million as the busier summer period picks up, according to Spain’s data agency INE.

That means 2024 is shaping up to be another record year for Spain, already the world’s second most visited country behind France, making it likely it will beat last year’s high of 85 million tourists, when numbers exceeded pre-pandemic levels.

But for some Spaniards in the most popular destinations including Mallorca, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, there is increasing unease about the influx of tourists and their impact on housing costs and locals have staged protests.

Earlier in July, a small group of anti-tourism campaigners in Barcelona squirted water pistols at foreign visitors, chanting “tourists go home”, a demonstration that created headlines around the world.

Data showed that tourists spent 12.3 billion euros in Spain in June, 17 per cent more than the same month last year, helping drive economic growth, but highlighting the challenge for a government trying to find the right balance between tourism and local interests.

A lack of affordable housing in Spain has been partly blamed on a boom in holiday lets on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com.

According to the data released by the agency, tourists are increasingly opting to stay in rented apartments. The number of visitors in the first-half of the year staying in that type of accommodation was up 30 per cent, while those staying in hotels was up 11 per cent.