ACRONYMS National Statistics Institute
3 June 2024

Total expenditure survey

April 2024. Provisional data

Main results

  • The total expenditure of international tourists who visited Spain in April increased by 13.1% and reached 9,565 million euros.
  • The average daily expenditure increased by 5.4% to 183 euros.

The total expenditure of international tourists visiting Spain in April reached 9,565 million euros, an increase of 13.1% when compared with the same month in 2023.

The average expenditure per tourist stood at 1,221 euros, with an annual increase of 4.4%. On the other hand, the average daily expenditure increased by 5.4%, up to 183 euros.

Annual variation rate of total international tourist expenditure
Annual variation. Percentage

During the first four months of 2024, the total expenditure of international tourists increased by 22.6%, reaching 31,513 million euros.

Countries of origin

The main sending countries in terms of the level of expenditure in April were the United Kingdom (with 16.7% of the total), Germany (14.7%) and France (9.1%).

The expenditure of tourists from the United Kingdom increased by 18.7% at an annual rate, by those from Germany by 12.3% and by those from France by 12.8%.

International tourist expenditure by country of residence. April 2024

During the first four months of 2024, the United Kingdom was the country with the largest cumulative expenditure (16.5% of the total). It was followed by Germany (13.3%) and the Nordic Countries (7.9%).

Expenditure items

The expenditure on international transport (not included in package holidays) was the most important item in April, with a 21.5% rise in total expenditure and an increase of 19.1% compared with the same month in 2023.

The following items were expenditure on activities and accommodation, which accounted for 20.5% and 17.5% of the total, respectively. The former increased by 10.8% and the latter by 16.1%.

International tourist expenditure by expenditure categories. April 2024

Type of accommodation, method of organization and reason for the trip

61.4% of the total expenditure in April was made by tourists staying overnight at hotels, with an annual rise of 12.8%. On the other hand, expenditure on non-rented accommodation increased by 19.8%.

Expenditure by tourists not travelling with a tourist package increased by 14.6% in the annual rate. For those who contracted a package tour, it increased by 7.9%.

In terms of the reasons for travel, tourists visiting Spain for leisure generated 83.4% of the total expenditure, with a 10.6% higher spend than in April 2023.

International tourist expenditure by main type of accommodation, method of organization and main purpose of the trip. April 2024

(*): Two main groups of accommodation are distinguished according to whether or not there has been a monetary transaction: market (paid accommodation: hotels, rental accommodation, camping, rural house and other market accommodation) or non-market (owned housing, family and friends housing and other non-market accommodation).

Autonomous communities of main destination

The main Autonomous Communities in terms of the destination with the greatest proportion of total tourist expenditure in April were Cataluña (with 18.9% of the total), Canarias (17.5%) and Andalucía (15.4%). The annual rate of tourist spending increased by 11.6% in Cataluña, 8.1% in Canarias and 10.8% in Andalucía.

International tourist expenditure according to the autonomous community of the main destination. April 2023

During the first four months of 2024, the communities with the highest cumulative expenditure were Canarias (with 26.0% of the total), Cataluña (17.3%) and Andalucía (15.3%).

Revisions and data updates

The data published today are provisional and will be revised in March next year. All results of this operation are available on INEBase.

Methodological note

The main objective of the Tourist Expenditure Survey (EGATUR) is to obtain monthly information on the tourist expenditure made by non-residents in Spain in their trips to our country. In preparing it, the international definitions and recommendations of the UNWTO and EUROSTAT in this field are followed.

Type of operation:
continuous monthly statistics.
Population scope:
this refers to non-residents in Spain who enter our country, whether or not they have stayed overnight, as well as those who pass through our country in transit.
Geographical scope:
the entire national territory. The sample is collected at the main access points for non-resident travelers (road, airport, port and rail).
Reference period of the results:
the month.
Sample size:
The theoretical annual sample size of EGATUR exceeds 127,000 surveys, which are distributed throughout the year according to the seasonality of the flow of passengers and to the sample design, which is defined for each access road independently, setting a fraction of the sub-sampling from the FRONTUR sample.
Type of sampling:
Single stage, where the estimates of the FRONTUR survey are used as the target population to which the EGATUR data are elevated.
Collection method:
the information is collected by direct interviews when the traveller leaves Spain, using a multilingual electronic questionnaire. It is important to note that the survey is administered to the visitors when they are leaving the country, so the information collected could refer to a longer period than the reference month.

For more information you can access the methodology and the standardized methodological report.

INE statistics are produced in accordance with the Code of Good Practice for European Statistics. More information in Quality at INE and the Code of Best Practices.

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