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3 January 2024

Tourist Movements at Borders (FRONTUR)

November 2023. Provisional data

Main results

  • Spain received 5.1 million international tourists in November, 18.6% more than in the same month of 2022.
  • In the first 11 months of 2023 the number of tourists increased by 18.2%.

Spain received in November the visit of 5.1 million international tourists, 18.6% more than in the same month of 2022. This figure stood by 10.5% more than in the same month of 2019.

In the first 11 months of 2023 the number of tourists visiting Spain increased by 18.2% and exceeded 79.8 million. Compared to the first 11 months of 2019, before the pandemic, tourist arrivals were 0.8% higher.

International tourists arrivals by month. November 2023
Annual variation. Percentage

The United Kingdom was the main country of residence, with over 1.0 million tourists, an increase of 15.2% compared to November 2022. There were 0.6 million arrivals from France (9.0% more) and 0.6 million from Germany (18.5% more).

International tourists arrivals (*) by country of residence. November 2023

(*) Does not include transit travellers or same-day visitors (excursionists).
(**) Includes Russia’s estimation.

The main sending countries during the first 11 months were the United Kingdom (with over 16.4 million tourists and an increase of 14.4%), France (almost 11.0 million and an increase of 16.5%) and Germany (with more than 10.2 million, 9.9% more).

Main type of accommodation and other characteristics of the trips

The number of tourists choosing market accommodation as the main type of accommodation increased by 17.2% in the annual rate. Within this type, hotel accommodation grew by 13.8%, and rented dwellings by 39.5%. Non-market accommodation increased by 23.8%.

International tourist arrivals by type of accommodation. November 2023

A stay of four to seven nights was the main length among tourists, with more than 2.4 million tourists and an annual increase of 21.1%. The number of visitors increased by 25.0% among those without overnight stays (excursionists) and increased by 11.3% among tourists with longer duration (more than 15 nights).

Almost 4.0 million tourists travelled without a package tour in November, an increase of 17.5%. Almost 1.2 million tourists travelled with a tourists package, 22.6% more.

Main destination Autonomous Communities

Canarias was the main tourists destination in November, with 25.9% of the total. It was followed by Cataluña (22.3%) and Andalucía (14.0%).

The Canary Islands received 12.4% more tourists than in November 2022. The number of tourists visiting Cataluña increased by 19.7% and 21.5% more tourists came to Andalucía.

International tourist arrivals by main Autonomous Community of destination. Monthly and cumulative data. November 2023

In the accumulated first 11 months of 2023 the Autonomous Communities that received the most tourists were Cataluña (with over 17.0 million and an increase of 21.0% as compared with the same period of 2022), Illes Balears (with over 14.2 million and an increase of 8.9%) and Canarias (12.6 million, 13.1% more).

Data reviews and updates

he data published today is provisional and will be revised in March. All results are available on 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. For the preparation of FRONTUR 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, both 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 flow.
Type of sampling:
the sample design, a series of strata have been defined for each form of entry that group together border points, airports, ports or railway lines, respectively. In the road and airport sample allocation, the day of the week in which the survey has been carried out is also identified, differentiating between working days, weekends and holidays. Furthermore, in airports 20 air relations are defined (Spanish airport of origin-country of destination airport) which also determine the sample design in this form of access.
Collection method:
information is collected by direct interview when the traveler leaves Spain, using a multilingual electronic questionnaire.

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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