Press section / Press releases

Main results

The number of trips made by residents in Spain increased by 15.0% in the first quarter and stands at 40.6 million.
Total expenditure increased by 25.4% and exceeded 11,678 million euros.
Andalusia, Catalonia and the Valencian Community were the main destinations.

More information

Annex of tables (includes information from the Autonomous Communities)
Results and Advanced Consultation System
Tourism Indicators and other Infographics

Residents in Spain made 40.6 million trips in the first quarter, 15.0% more than that recorded in the same period in 2023.

Trips whose main destination was the national territory increased by 13.7% and those abroad by 26.2%.

Trips and average duration by destination

Trips by purpose and accommodation

Leisure, recreation and holiday trips increased by 24.0% in the first quarter. On the other hand, Visits to relatives or friends increased by 10.8%.

Trips for Business and other professional reasons fell by 14.2% whereas those made for Other reasons rose by 46.9%.

Trips by main purpose. Quarter I 2024

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By type of accommodation, domestic trips where residents stayed with relatives or friends increased by 10.8%. In foreign trips, hotel accommodation grew by 29.5%.

Main destinations and Autonomous Communities of origin

The main Autonomous Communities of destination for trips by residents in the first quarter were Andalusia (16.7% of the total), Cataluña (12.0%) and the Valencian Community (8.5%).

Trips by destination (abroad and autonomous communities). Quarter I 2024

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In terms of origin, trips made by residents in the Comunidad de Madrid accounted for 18.9% of the total. This was followed by Cataluña (16.9%) and Andalucía (15.8%).

Removing the effect of the size of each Autonomous Community, those who travelled the most were residents of the Comunidad de Madrid (1,082 trips per 1,000 inhabitants), Aragón (1,014) and Principado de Asturias (860).

Travel expenditure

The total travel expenditure in the first quarter reached 11,678.6 million euros, an increase of 25.4% compared with the same period in 2023. Total expenditure on domestic trips increased by 21.3% and on trips abroad by 33.0%.

The average daily expenditure was 82 euros – 67 euros for domestic trips and 129 euros for trips abroad.

Expenditure by destination. Quarter I 2024

By expenditure items, the highest expenditure on domestic trips was on bars and restaurants, with 26.5% of the total and an annual increase of 20.7%. For trips abroad, the highest expenditure was on transport, with 36.2% of the total and an increase of 39.0%.

Expenditure by item of expenditure according to destination. Quarter I 2024

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By main destination, the highest average daily expenditures were recorded for trips to the Comunidad de Madrid (98 euros), Illes Balears (97) and Canarias (86). In turn, the lowest figures were in Castilla-La Mancha (49 euros), Extremadura (50) and Castilla y León (53).

By origin, the highest daily expenditures were made by residents in Cataluña (93 euros), Comunidad Foral de Navarra (91) and Cantabria (90). The smallest figures were in Castilla y León and Castilla-La Mancha (both 65 euros), and Extremadura (70).

Monthly data

March saw the highest number of trips this quarter (15.7 million), while the longest average duration was recorded in January (4.0 overnight stays).

Excursions

The population aged 15 and over made 49.3 million trips in the first quarter, an annual decrease of 5.8%. Of these, 95.7% were for personal reasons.

Revisions and data updates

The data published today are final. All the results of this operation are available at INEbase.

Methodological note

The objective of the Residents Travel Survey (ETR/FAMILITUR) is to provide information on the trips and excursions carried out by the population resident in Spain, both within the country and abroad, and their main characteristics (duration, expenditure, reason, accommodation, etc.).

In addition, it provides annual information on the percentage of the population travelling for personal reasons and investigates the reasons given by those who do not travel.

Type of operation:: quarterly continuous survey.
Population scope:: population aged 15 and over living in family homes in Spain.
Geographical scope:: the entire national territory.
Reference period of the results:: month, quarter, year (depending on the variable).
Sample size:: the effective monthly sample is around 8,200 persons, who provide information on the trips completed in the two months prior to the interview. The results of a reference month are obtained from around 16,400 questionnaires.
Sample type:: stratified three-stage random sample from the Georeferenced Address Framework. The first-stage units are census sections, the second-stage units are dwellings (a person aged 15 or over has been selected within each dwelling).
Collection method:: telephone and face-to-face interviews and online questionnaire.

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

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