International tourists spent €7.68 billion in Catalonia between January and July

Barcelona (ACN).- Figures released on Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism note how Catalonia has received an increase of 9.8% in the amount of expenditure by foreign tourists between January and July compared to the same period of 2012. This means that foreign tourists spent a total of €7.68 billion in Catalonia, the highest amount in all of Spain, representing 23.9% of the total spent. During the duration of their stays, each tourist spent an average of €878 in Catalonia – an amount 4.4% higher than last year’s figures. While the average daily expenditure also increased by 1.2% to €123. The Canary Islands was the autonomous community that received the second highest amount of foreign tourist expenditure between January and July, with €6.24 billion being spent – 19.4% of Spain’s total. The Balearic Islands came third, receiving €5.67 billion – 17.6%. Spain as a whole also saw an increase in the amount of international tourist expenditure by 6%, meaning that for the first seven months of the year a total of €32.21 billion was spent.

The autonomous community of Andalucía received the fourth highest amount of foreign tourist expenditure with a total of €4.66 billion between January and July – 4.5% higher than last year. While Valencia was fourth, obtaining €2.89 billion – up by 8% – thanks the increase in expenditure from British, French and Nordic tourists. Despite these positive figures, Madrid was unique in that it saw a reduction in the amount of spending by -1.5% to €2.85 billion. The fall is said to be because of a drop in Italian, French and German tourists.

British and Germans are the biggest spenders

British tourists spent the highest amount in Spain between January and July, representing a total of 19.7% of tourist expenditure in the state with €6.35 billion, an increase of 5.7%. German tourists were the second highest spenders with an expenditure of €5.15 billion, 2.1% higher than last year. Thanks to an increase of 18.5%, tourists from Nordic countries spent the thirst highest with €3.41 billion. They were also the visitors that had the highest average spending during they stay (€1,186), and the highest daily expenditure (€121).

July: more positive figures for Catalonia and Spain

The amount of international tourist expenditure saw a notable increase during the month of July across Spain with an average increase of 4.3%, reaching €7.79 billion. Catalonia, Andalucía and the Canary Islands all experienced an increase in spending of over 8% compared to 2012. The Balearic Islands received the most during July, representing 26.3% of the total (€2.05 billion), followed by Catalonia with 25.1% (€1.95 billion). Valencia also saw an increase of 1.4%. However, Madrid experienced a reduction of -2.9%, while the remaining autonomous communities had a decrease of -5.6%.