Spain Celebrates Historic Tourism Milestone with 96.8M Visitors in 2025
Spain has set a remarkable new tourism record, welcoming 96.8 million foreign visitors in 2025, according to official figures released Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute. The achievement represents a 3.2% increase compared to 2024’s 94 million tourists, cementing Spain’s position as one of the world’s most popular destinations.
Tourism now accounts for 12.6% of Spain’s gross domestic product, with the country ranking third on the UN World Tourism Barometer’s list of top global tourism earners, after the United Kingdom and France. Income from foreign visitors surged 6.8% to €134.7 billion ($158.9 billion) last year, up from €126 billion in 2024.
Most travelers came from the following countries:
- UK (19 million)
- France (12.7 million)
- Germany (12 million)
The most popular destinations were:
- Catalonia, home to Barcelona, attracted around 20.1 million tourists
- The Mediterranean and Canary Islands
However, the tourism boom has sparked tensions with locals in city centers, where short-term rentals have proliferated, contributing to housing affordability concerns.
The Ministry of Tourism emphasized that the increase meets objectives to transform the tourism model into one that prioritizes “quality over quantity” for more sustainable growth. This marks Spain’s third record-breaking year since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted international leisure travel.