On 1 February 2018 Spain’s statistics institute reported 81.8 million international tourists in 2017, up 8.6%, and spending of €86,823 million. Catalonia, the top destination, slowed in the last quarter.
On 1 February 2018 the National Statistics Institute (INE) published the provisional 2017 data from two surveys: the Tourist Movements at Borders survey (Frontur), which counts arrivals, and the Tourist Expenditure Survey (Egatur), which measures what they spend. According to Frontur, Spain received 81,786,364 international tourists, 8.6% more than in 2016 and, according to the press, a new high. The INE defines tourists as non-resident visitors who stay overnight; it does not count day-trippers or travellers in transit.
Where they come from and how they arrive
The United Kingdom was the main country of origin, with 18.8 million tourists (+6.2%), followed by Germany, with 11.9 million (+6.1%), and France, with 11.3 million (−0.1%). Tourists from the United States numbered 2.65 million, up 32.4%. By air came 66.6 million (+10.4%) and by road 12.9 million (−0.7%).
By type of accommodation, 65.0 million tourists used market accommodation (+9.0%): 51.3 million in hotels (+6.5%) and 9.7 million in rented homes, up 20.2%. In non-market accommodation, such as the homes of family and friends or their own, there were 16.8 million (+7.2%).
Spending and the last quarter
International tourists spent a total of €86,823 million in 2017, up 12.2%. The UK contributed €17,423 million (+8.2%), Germany €12,220 million (+10.1%) and France €7,029 million (+3.7%). By region, Catalonia accounted for the highest spending, €19,152 million (+9.7%), or 22.1% of the total, ahead of the Canary Islands (€16,780 million) and the Balearic Islands (€14,591 million).
Catalonia received 19,046,720 tourists in 2017, 5.0% more than the year before and below the 8.6% for Spain as a whole. Behind it came the Canary Islands, with 14.2 million (+7.2%), and the Balearic Islands, with 13.8 million (+6.1%). In the last quarter, arrivals in Catalonia were 1,489,870 in October (−4.7%), 986,712 in November (−2.3%) and 823,427 in December (−13.9%), some 3.3 million in all. In December, tourists’ spending in Catalonia was €877 million, down 6.8%.
The INE publishes the figures and does not attribute these changes to any specific cause. The data are provisional and may be revised, and three months are not enough to speak of a trend. For Spain as a whole, December ended with 4.0 million tourists, 0.2% fewer than a year earlier: those from the UK fell 7.6% and those from France 9.0%, while those from Germany rose 5.4%.
What to review
For businesses that serve visitors, such as hotels, restaurants, shops or holiday lettings, the annual figures are a reference point, not a forecast. After a year in which spending grew by more than 12%, the prudent course is to compare your own occupancy and revenue per customer with previous years before expanding capacity or fixed costs. Total spending grew faster than arrivals (12.2% against 8.6%): on average each tourist spent a little more, about 3% by a calculation on these figures.
It is also worth looking at market concentration: the United Kingdom accounted for 23% of tourists and 20% of spending. A business closely tied to a single country of origin depends on its economy and its currency, and seasonality adds another factor to review.
A year’s figures help you take your bearings; a business’s decisions rest on its own accounts.
This article is general information. It is not legal, tax or investment advice, and it does not take anyone’s particular circumstances into account.
