Balanced growth and record tourism spending in 2025
11 February, 2026Spain closed 2025 with 97 million international tourists, pending the final closing of the data, once again staying close to the 100‑million barrier. This was announced by the Minister for Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, who highlighted year‑on‑year growth of 3.5% and, above all, the strong increase in tourism spending, which rose by 6.5% to 135 billion euros.
The minister stressed that these results reflect a change of model, with a more balanced evolution of tourism activity. In this context, he underlined progress in deseasonalisation, the increase in overnight stays, which exceeded 693 million, and the diversification of the offer and of the destinations. Culture and gastronomy are leading growth as opposed to sun and beach.
Hereu also highlighted the positive impact on employment, with more than 2.7 million people registered for social security up to November and more than 80% on permanent contracts. Looking ahead to 2026, the minister anticipated that tourism will continue to grow, albeit in a calmer way, combining volume and quality. For the first four months of the year, 26 million international tourists are expected, with estimated spending of 35 billion euros.