International tourist spending exceeds €7.8 billion in January, a 9.3% increase

Total spending by international tourists in the first month of 2026 reached €7.8 billion, 9.3% more than in January of the previous year, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

As for the number of international tourists who arrived in Spain in January, the figure exceeded 5.1 million, representing a 1.2% increase compared to the same period of the previous year.

These figures confirm a start to the year in which, once again, the trend of spending at the destination growing faster than the rate of arrivals continues. This statistical trend aligns with the Ministry of Industry and Tourism's commitment to a new tourism model, one that prioritises sustainability, quality over quantity, decentralises and reduces seasonality in destinations, and diversifies the tourism offerings.

In the first month of 2026, the United Kingdom accounted for the largest share of total spending (13.9%), although spending decreased by 1.7%. Germany (10.6% of the total) saw a 4.4% increase in spending during the month, while the Nordic countries (7% of the total) experienced a 7.5% decrease. In January, spending by the "rest of the world" group stood out, with an 18.8% increase, followed by Italy, whose spending rose by 16.5%.

On the other hand, the autonomous communities with the highest share of tourist spending in January were the Canary Islands (28.7% of the total), the Community of Madrid (20.6%), and Catalonia (16.3%).

In terms of visitors, the main countries of origin in January were the United Kingdom (with 897,095 tourists, a 3.3% increase compared to the same period in 2015); Germany (527,327 domestic tourists, a 2% decrease); and France (517,788 tourists, a 19.5% decrease).

Spending continues to outpace visitor growth

In January, the increase in spending by international tourists was 8.2 percentage points higher than the increase in the number of foreign visitors.

During this month, each tourist spent an average of €1,522, representing an 8% increase compared to January of the previous year. The average daily spending of visitors grew by 7.1% year-on-year, reaching €177.

Meanwhile, the length of stay of the majority of tourists was four to seven nights, with more than 2.2 million and an annual increase of 2.1%.

The Canary Islands, the top destination in January

The Canary Islands was the first main destination for tourists in January, with 27.8% of the total. They were followed by Catalonia (19.7%) and the Community of Madrid (14.9%).

The Canary Islands received 1,427,922 tourists, 4.9% more than in January 2015, while the Community of Madrid saw an 8.8% increase, reaching 766,365. Conversely, the number of tourists visiting Catalonia decreased by 6.2%, settling at just over one million.

In terms of the rest of the Autonomous Communities, the overall increase in international visitors was 1.2%, reaching almost 500,000 tourists.

Non official translation