Spain Tourism Growth: 2025 Data and What It Means for Expats

Spain just had its biggest year of international tourism on record. Whether that’s good or bad news depends entirely on where you live and what you’re trying to do there.

The headline numbers: 96.8 million international arrivals in 2025, up from 93.8 million in 2024 and 83.5 million in 2019, the previous record before COVID. Tourism spending reached €134.7 billion. The sector accounts for roughly 12.3% of Spain’s GDP — more than agriculture, energy, and most manufacturing.

If you’re considering a move to Spain, or already living there and trying to make sense of rising rents and packed cities, this data matters.

What the 2025 numbers actually show

The recovery from COVID is complete and then some. Spain crossed its pre-pandemic arrival record in 2024, then added another 3.2% in 2025. Spending grew even faster: receipts are up 6.8% year-on-year, which means tourists are spending more per trip, not just arriving in greater numbers. Average spend per visitor hit around €1,514 in Q4 2025 according to INE’s Egatur survey.

Where are they coming from? The UK, France, and Germany remain the three largest source markets. The US has grown noticeably as a source of higher-spending visitors. Asian markets are still below pre-pandemic levels but recovering.

One thing the data shows that doesn’t get much coverage: shoulder-season tourism is growing fast. Spending in low and mid-season periods is up 53% compared to 2019. Spain’s tourism minister noted this shift explicitly — and it matters for anyone living in popular areas, since it means the August crunch is spreading into April and October.

Why property prices in tourist areas keep climbing

Tourism growth is one of the main forces pushing up property prices and rents in coastal Spain, Barcelona, and parts of Madrid. When 97 million people visit a country in a year, demand for short-term rentals competes directly with long-term housing supply.

The Balearic Islands and Barcelona have both moved to restrict short-term rental licenses. Barcelona’s city council stopped issuing new tourist apartment licenses in 2024. The Balearics have a cap on total tourist beds. These policies exist precisely because housing stock was getting absorbed into Airbnb-style rentals.

If you’re looking at property in Mallorca or coastal areas, understand that tourism pressure is structural — not a short-term spike. Alicante is a useful comparison: it gets significant tourism but hasn’t yet hit the same regulatory crunch as Barcelona.

For a broader picture of Spanish property, the housing and real estate guide covers what to expect across different regions.

Jobs: 2.75 million workers and growing

Tourism employs 2.75 million people in Spain as of early 2026 (registered workers in the sector, per the Council of Ministers). That’s a record. It’s also one of the more accessible industries for expats, particularly in English-speaking roles in hospitality, travel, and real estate.

The flip side: many of these jobs are seasonal, concentrated in summer months, and wages in front-line hospitality remain low relative to Spain’s overall salary levels. Skills shortages are real, especially off-season, which is part of why the government is pushing harder on year-round tourism development.

If you’re weighing employment options, the jobs in Spain guide covers the full picture including remote work and teaching, which are more stable than tourism-facing roles.

The overtourism problem is real, and it’s not going away

There were significant protests against mass tourism in 2024 and 2025, particularly in Barcelona, the Canary Islands, Mallorca, and Seville. Locals pointed to housing costs, crowded infrastructure, and a feeling that their cities were being optimised for visitors at the expense of residents.

The government’s response has been relatively measured: promote inland and “green” Spain, push off-season travel, and let regional authorities handle restrictions. There’s no national cap on tourist numbers.

For expats, this tension has practical consequences. Some neighborhoods in Barcelona have become difficult for long-term renters to navigate as tourist apartments dominate supply. The Barcelona guide covers which neighborhoods work better for residents vs. tourists.

Madrid and Valencia face similar pressures but at lower intensity — they’re large enough cities that tourism hasn’t overwhelmed the local housing market to the same degree.

What 2026 and 2027 look like

The consensus across CaixaBank Research, Spain’s Tourism Ministry, and WTTC is continued growth, just slower. The baseline projection is around 100 million arrivals in 2026 (+3%) and €142 billion in receipts (+5%).

That assumes no major global shock — no new pandemic wave, no severe energy price spike, stable eurozone growth. The OECD puts G20 growth at around 2.9-3% for 2026-27, which supports that baseline.

There are real downside scenarios. An energy price spike (Mideast conflict is still ongoing), a new variant, or a broader eurozone slowdown could flatten growth to near zero. In that case, arrivals stay around 97-98 million and receipts barely move. Roughly a 20% probability on each tail.

The airline capacity data is encouraging for the baseline: Ryanair is targeting 77 million seats to Spain by 2026, up from 55 million in 2024. Aena’s airports handled 309.3 million total passengers in 2024.

For expats: how to think about this

Spain’s tourism growth creates a specific set of conditions for people moving there:

Housing is competitive in tourist zones. If you’re looking in coastal Andalusia, the Balearics, or Barcelona, expect supply constraints and fast-moving rental markets. Plan ahead and work with a relocation agent who knows local market conditions.

The economy is healthy, which is good. Tourism at 12.3% of GDP means Spain has real economic momentum. Employment is high, incomes are rising, and the government has budget to spend on infrastructure. That’s a better backdrop than a decade ago.

Overtourism backlash is worth taking seriously. Cities that feel overwhelmed by tourism can be difficult to live in during peak season. If you want daily life to feel manageable, either pick a city with enough scale to absorb visitors (Madrid, Valencia), or pick somewhere that doesn’t appear on the tourist circuit at all.

The cost of living in popular tourist areas trends higher than in inland Spain. This is partly tourism-driven. Malaga is significantly cheaper than Barcelona; both are significantly cheaper than London.

The broader picture: Spain’s tourism growth isn’t a temporary post-COVID bounce. The structural drivers — climate, connectivity, price competitiveness versus other European destinations — point to continued strong demand. Whether that’s good for your quality of life as a resident depends on where you plant yourself.

Data sources: INE Frontur and Egatur surveys (official Spanish arrivals and receipts data); Ministry of Tourism / Council of Ministers press releases; CaixaBank Research; WTTC Economic Impact Report 2026; Reuters / Minister Hereu statements; Aena traffic statistics; OECD Economic Outlook 2026.