MADRID: Spain continues to enjoy record numbers of tourists, with 10.6 million visitors having visited Spain between January and March of this year. This represents a 5.3% increase (some 500,000 people) compared to the same period last year, according to the latest monthly figures released by the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism.
As normal, the UK contributed the largest number (2.1 million, up 9.5% from last year), followed by Germany (1.65 million, a 1.2% increase). The next two largest markets, France (1.64 million) and the Nordic countries (1.1 million), both registered a slight decrease in tourist numbers compared to last year, registering losses of 0.6 and 6.3%, respectively.
In relative terms, the inter-annual increases shown by Italy (16.9%), Ireland (13.5%), Switzerland (12.6%) and the USA (12%) stood out. However, at the other end of the scale, along with France and the Nordic countries, Netherland (-3.4%) and Russia (-24.9%) contributed considerably less tourists.