International visitor spending grew at a faster pace during the summer month, climbing to almost €13.6 billion (US$15.6 billion), according to the National Statistics Institute.
However, international arrivals also declined month on month, slipping from about 10.26 million in May despite the start of Spain’s peak summer travel season.
Spain struggled with a severe heatwave that shattered temperature records across parts of the country, threatening its summer tourism boom.
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A view of Las Ramblas in Barcelona, Spain, March 12, 2020. Photo by Reuters |
The United Kingdom remained Spain’s largest source market in June, with nearly 2.3 million visitors, up 6.8% from the same month last year.
The United States also maintained strong growth, sending almost 614,000 tourists, a 12.3% year-on-year increase.
The continued expansion underscores the rising importance of long-haul markets for Spain’s tourism sector, supported by more direct flights between Spanish cities and North America. These visitors also tend to spend more per day than travelers from neighboring European countries, according to InSpain News.
In contrast, arrivals from Ireland declined sharply. Around 325,000 Irish tourists visited Spain in June, down 9.2% from a year earlier, marking the steepest drop among the country’s major source markets in the latest official data.
During the first six months of 2026, 46.57 million international visitors arrived in the country, 4.6% more than during the same period last year.
Spain expects to welcome 100 million tourists this year after receiving a record 97 million visitors in 2025.