MADRID, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Spain welcomed a record 36.8 million international tourists in the first five months of 2026, while their spending reached 50 billion euros (57 billion U.S. dollars), according to figures released by the Spanish Statistical Office (INE) on Thursday.
The number of international tourists was 5 percent higher than in the same period of 2025, while their spending increased 7.8 percent from a year earlier.
The overall total was boosted by strong figures for May, when nearly 10.3 million foreign tourists visited Spain, up 9.5 percent from May 2025. They spent 13.5 billion euros (15.5 billion U.S. dollars), an increase of 10.9 percent year-on-year.
Once again, tourists from the United Kingdom accounted for the largest number of visitors, followed by those from France and Germany.
The northeastern region of Catalonia was the most popular destination by visitor numbers, followed by the Canary Islands and the southern region of Andalusia.
Spain ended 2025 with around 97 million international tourists, while tourism accounts for more than 12 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP).
