Press Release: Tourist Movements at Borders (FRONTUR). December 2024 and year 2024. Provisional data.

Main results

Spain received 5.3 million international tourists in December, 1.1% more than in the same month of 2023.
In the year 2024 as a whole, the number of tourists peaked, reaching an all-time high of 93.8 million.

More information

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

Spain received 5.3 million international tourists, 1.1% more than in the same month in 2023.

International tourists arrivals by months

Annual variation. Percentage

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The United Kingdom was the main country of residence, with over 900,804 tourists: a decrease of 1.3% compared with December 2023. 775,347 tourists came from France (5.3% fewer) and 625,154 from Germany (11.4% more).

International tourists arrivals (*) by country of residence. December 2024

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        "5,265,945",
        "1.1",
        "93,799,505",
        "10.1",
        "625,154",
        "11.4",
        "11,937,236",
        "8.6",
        "170,793",
        "0.4",
        "3,063,431",
        "11.0",
        "775,347",
        "-5.3",
        "12,980,341",
        "10.3",
        "144,728",
        "16.2",
        "2,773,264",
        "12.0",
        "376,008",
        "6.4",
        "5,437,840",
        "12.1",
        "227,479",
        "10.7",
        "4,780,863",
        "10.7",
        "225,451",
        "-4.0",
        "2,986,601",
        "6.6",
        "900,804",
        "-1.3",
        "18,403,216",
        "6.6",
        "104,095",
        "-8.4",
        "2,117,258",
        "5.7",
        "356,445",
        "3.9",
        "5,147,430",
        "7.3",
        "513,322",
        "-1.7",
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        "15.4",
        "214,828",
        "-1.9",
        "4,263,842",
        "11.2",
        "304,597",
        "3.0",
        "5,164,599",
        "11.4",
        "326,892",
        "-2.2",
        "5,630,895",
        "17.9"
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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 2.4% in annual terms. Within this type, hotel accommodation fell by 0.7% while rented dwellings rose by 22.3%.

On the other hand, non-market accommodation decreased by 2.7%.

International tourist arrivals by type of accommodation. December 2024

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        "2.4",
        "77,302,081",
        "10.1",
        "2,947,231",
        "-0.7",
        "61,652,449",
        "7.8",
        "757,990",
        "22.3",
        "11,662,415",
        "27.0",
        "217,497",
        "-9.4",
        "3,987,217",
        "4.0",
        "1,343,228",
        "-2.7",
        "16,497,423",
        "10.4",
        "363,437",
        "1.1",
        "4,990,725",
        "4.8",
        "886,044",
        "-3.7",
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        "11.6",
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        "27.2"
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The most prevalent length of stay among tourists was from four to seven nights, with more than 2.4 million tourists and an annual increase of 7.5%. The number of visitors increased by 5.3% among those without overnight stays (excursionists) and decreased by 0.3% among tourists with longer duration (more than 15 nights).

More than 4.2 million tourists travelled without a tourist package in December, an increase of 3.2%. Nearly 1.1 million tourists travelled with a tourist package, 6.6% less.

Autonomous communities of main destination

Canarias was the main tourist destination in December, with 27.5% of the total. It was followed by Cataluña (20.4%) and Andalucía (12.9%).

5.4% more tourists visited Canarias than in December 2023. The number of tourists visiting Cataluña increased by 5.2% and 8.9% more tourists came to Andalucía.

International tourist arrivals by main Autonomous Community of destination. Monthly and cumulative data. December 2024

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        "8.9",
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        "11.5",
        "182,446",
        "10.2",
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        "6.1",
        "1,448,229",
        "5.4",
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        "9.1",
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        "9.7",
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        "14.0",
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        "-0.6",
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Results for the whole of 2024

In 2024, a total of 93.8 million tourists visited Spain: an increase of 10.1% compared with the previous year, setting a new all-time record.

International tourist arrivals by year

Millions

The main countries of residence of the tourists who visited Spain in 2024 were the United Kingdom, France and Germany.

Arrivals of tourists resident in the United Kingdom rose by 6.6%, those from France by 10.3% and those from Germany by 8.6%.

International tourist arrivals by country of residence. 2024

Millions

In 2024, Cataluña was the autonomous community which received the most tourists, followed by Illes Balears and Canarias.

Cataluña was visited by more than 19.9 million tourists (9.7% more than in 2023), Illes Balears by 15.3 million (6.1% more) and Canarias by 15.2 million (9.1% more).

International tourist arrivals by main Autonomous Community of destination. 2024

Millions

Data revisions and 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 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 UNWTO 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.