Catalonia leads the way in foreign tourist spending between January and July in Spain

Madrid (ACN).- Catalonia is at the forefront of international tourist spending within Spain in the first seven months of this year, boasting an international visitor expenditure of €8.151million euros, a 5.3% increase over the same period of last year, according to the Survey of Tourist Expenditure (EGATUR), published this Wednesday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. In Spain as a whole, international tourists spent €34.497 million between January and July, a 7% interannual increase from the same period of 2013 and the highest ever recorded figure during the first seven months of the year. Catalonia also accounted for 23.6% of the total figure for Spain between January and July.

Tourists from the UK have been the biggest spenders in Spain, forking out €6.812 million in the first 7 months of this year; 7.1% more than in the same period in 2013 and representing 19.7% of the total expenditure. They were followed by the German tourists, who spent €5.461 million in this time span; an increase of 6% from last year and 15.8% of the total figure. Tourists from Scandinavian countries have also demonstrated an increase in their spending from 2013, paying out €3.646 million between January and July 2014; a 6.8% increase which represents 10.6% of the total statistic. French visitors have also been spending on their trips in Spain, with a total expenditure of €3.269 million between January and July; a rise of 6.5% from last year and 9.5% of the total figure.

Catalonia accounts for 23.6% of the total tourist spending in Spain

Catalonia had the largest tourist spending of all of the Autonomous Communities in Spain in the first seven months of the year, boasting a €8.151 million expenditure in this period and a rise of 5.3% on 2013 figures. This is equivalent to 23.6% of the total spending of international tourists in the country. In the month of July, Catalonia accounted for 26.6% of the total tourist expenditure, exceeding the record figure from last year by 9.4%. This was partly due to the notable increase in visitors from the Netherlands and Germany.

The Canary Islands recorded a tourist spending of €7.056 million between January and July; 13.1% more than the same period last year, a figure which represents 20.5% of the total tourist expenditure in Spain. In July, the Canaries recorded a growth in tourist spending of 8.3%, which totals €987 million, 12.1% of the total amount. The growth in the expenditure of British and Scandinavian tourists contributed to this positive result.

The Balearic Islands saw a 4.2% increase in tourist spending in the first 7 months of this year, €5.401 million in total, which represents 15.7% of the total amount. In July, the Balearic Islands was the Autonomous Community with the second biggest tourist expenditure, despite recording a 5.3% decline from the same month last year. The reduced spending of German tourists in the Islands was the main cause of this decrease.

Andalusia witnessed a tourist expenditure of €5.221 million in the seven month period, a 12.3% growth from the figures last year and 15.1% of the total statistic. In July the spending of international visitors in Andalusia totalled €1.190 million, which represents a 6.7% increase compared to July 2013, and 14.6% of the overall amount from July.

The Community of Madrid registered a tourist expenditure of €3.195 million, which accounts for 9.3% of the total spending and an11% rise from last year. In July this region saw a 1.5% increase in tourist spending, with the German and UK market being the principal contributors to this growth.