4 March 2026

Tourist Movements at Borders (FRONTUR)

January 2026. Provisional data

Main results

Spain received 5.1 million international tourists in January, 1.2% more than in the same month of 2025.
The United Kingdom was the leading country of residence among tourists, while Canarias was the main destination chosen.

More information

Annex of tables (includes information from the Autonomous Communities)
Advanced query system
Infographic: Tourism Indicators

In January, Spain received 5.1 million international tourists, 1.2% more than in the same month of 2025.

International tourists arrivals by months

Annual variation. Percentage

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The United Kingdom was the main country of residence, with over 897,095 million tourists and an increase of 3.3% compared to January 2025. 527,327 tourists came from Germany (2.0% less) and 517,788 from France (19.5% less).

International tourists arrivals (*) by country of residence. January 2026

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        "-7.8",
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        "6.2",
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        "6.2",
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        "8.1",
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        "8.1",
        "230,120",
        "1.5",
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        "1.5",
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        "20.3",
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        "20.3",
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        "3.3",
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        "3.3",
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        "0.8",
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        "3.2",
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        "13.1",
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(*) Does not include transit travellers or same-day visitors (excursionists).
(**) Includes the estimate for Russia.

Main type of accommodation and other characteristics of the trips

The number of tourists who chose market accommodation as their main type of accommodation increased by 5.4% in annual terms. Within this type, hotel accommodation grew by 7.3% and rented dwellings by 0.8%.

On the other hand, non-market accommodation fell by 9.9%.

International tourist arrivals by type of accommodation. January 2026

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        "5.4",
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        "7.3",
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        "7.3",
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A stay of four to seven nights was the main length among tourists, with more than 2.2 million tourists and an annual increase of 2.1%. The number of visitors dropped by 2.2% among non-overnight visitors (day-trippers) and by 9.1% among tourists with a longer duration (more than 15 nights).

More than 4.0 million tourists travelled without a tourist package in January, a decrease of 0.9%. Nearly 1.1 million tourists travelled with a tourist package, 9.5% more.

Autonomous communities of main destination

Canarias was the main tourist destination in January, with 27.8% of the total. It was followed by Cataluña (19.7%) and Comunidad de Madrid (14.9%).

4.9% more tourists visited Canarias than in January 2025, and 8.8% more in Comunidad de Madrid. In contrast, the number of tourists visiting Cataluña fell by 6.2%.

International tourist arrivals by main Autonomous Community of destination. Monthly and cumulative data. January 2026

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Data revisions and updates

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

Methodological note

The main objective of the Tourist Movement on Borders Survey (FRONTUR) is to estimate the number of non-residents visiting Spain on a monthly basis, as well as to know the main characteristics of the trips made by these visitors. The international definitions and recommendations of the UN Tourism and EUROSTAT in this field are followed when preparing the FRONTUR.

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 travellers, by road, airport, port and rail.
Reference period of the results:: the month.
Sample size:: the annual theoretical sample size of FRONTUR exceeds 450,000 surveys, which are distributed throughout the year, taking into account the seasonality of passenger flows.
Sampling type:: strata have been defined for each form of entry that group together border points, airports, ports and railway lines. In determining the road and airport sample, the day of the week in which the survey has been carried out is also identified, differentiating between working days, weekends and holidays. In airports, 21 air relations are defined (Spanish airport of origin-country of destination airport).
Collection method:: information is collected by direct interview when the traveller leaves Spain, using a multilingual electronic 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.

For further information see

Official INE account on @es_ine

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