Number of tourists visiting Catalonia increases 7.2% in May

Barcelona (ACN) – Catalonia received a total of 1,628,268 foreign tourists in May, representing an increase of 7.2% compared to May 2014 and the best figure for this month since 2000. Catalonia had more tourists than any other autonomous community, both during the month of May and the first five months of the year. According to the survey of Tourist Movements at Borders (Frontur) prepared by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, in the first five months of 2015 the number of foreign tourists increased by 5.2% in Catalonia, with more than 5.7 million visitors from abroad. Tourists from the U.K., Germany and France were the greatest in number, both during the period from January to May and in the month of May alone. French, Americans and Asians were the groups of tourists that increased the most. In Spain as a whole, the number of tourists visiting between January and May rose by 5.1% to a new record of 22.5 million visitors over the first five months of the year.

With 25% of the total, Catalonia received the most tourists out of any other destination in Spain, both in the month of May and the first five months of 2015. In regard to totals spanning from January to May, the Canary Islands came in second place with a 21.6% share of the total, Andalusia was in third with 13.8% and the Balearic Islands came fourth with 11.7%. Taking the month of May alone, the Balearic Islands came after Catalonia, with 22.4% of visitors.

In Spain as a whole, the U.K. accounted for the highest number of tourists from January to May, with a total of 4,945,507 visitors. This number represents a 3.3% increase over last year and 22% of all tourists for that period. If only May is taken into consideration, 1,669,507 tourists came from the U.K., 25.7% of the month's total.

Coming in second place in May and third over the first five months of 2015 is Germany, with 1,111,056 tourists coming in May and 3,632,891 visitors between January and May, 16.1% of the total. The number of German tourists rose 3.1% compared to the same period in 2014.

France came in third place for the month of May, with 1,064,300 visitors, 16.4% of the total for that month and an 18.1% increase over May 2014. For the first five months of the year, France is in second place, accounting for 3,703,125 visitors to Spain, 16.4% of the total.

Tourists from Switzerland, the United States, France and Italy were among the groups that grew the most in the first five months of the year compared to 2014 statistics.