Spain’s Tourist Arrivals Increase In August

Spain had 10.1 million visitor arrivals in August, a rise of 5.8 percent from last year as tourists switched from other destinations.

Spain’s National Statistics Institute said total arrivals for January - August, 2016 were 52.5 million, a rise of 10.1 percent.

The United Kingdom provided the highest number of visitors with 2.3 million, a 3.9 percent increase, and 22.6 percent of the total.

France came a close second with 2.2 million, and Germany third with 1.3 million tourists in August.

The UK and France saw an increased number of visitors to Spain, but Germany edged down slightly.

World regions that saw the highest growth were the Americas (minus the United States) on a 21.8 percent increase, and Ireland with a 20.5 percent uplift.

Leisure, recreation and holidays were the main reasons for travel to Spain as the country is seen as a safe option to destinations that have seen recent terrorist activity.

Turkey in particular has suffered with its inbound visitor numbers falling by a third over the summer as tourists switched to other destinations.