Did anti-tourism protests and the clampdown on tourist licences have an impact on Spain tourism in 2024? Find out from #YouTooSpain host #Skatz what the statistics show, and whether tourist spending has changed.

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The figures are in for the numbers of international tourists that visited Spain in the first 11 months of last year. So have all of the anti-tourism protests affected the numbers of tourists and how much they’re putting into the Spanish economy? Has the clampdown on licences for tourist properties had an impact too?

And which countries are sending the most tourists?

Let’s get straight into it with the official statistics from the Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism. Spain has once again broken tourism records, with more than 88.5 million visitors up to the end of November 2024. That’s an increase of 10.7% compared to 2023. Not only that but spending by tourists has increased by 16.7%, making an incredible total of €118.6 billion. 

But where are they all coming from? Well, it seems there’s a continuing trend in the nationalities of visitors. If you look only at November, you’ll find the UK at the top of the list with 1 million tourists, that’s up 5.5% on November 2023’s figures. French visitors were next with an increase of 17.4% to over 750k. And Germany were next with more than 650K, up by 4.4%. Over the whole year there were 17.5 million UK visitors, 12.2 million French and 11.3 million Germans.

So which regions were the most popular? Again, no surprises here. In November the Canary Islands, with its milder winter climate saw the highest numbers. 25.6% of the total and an increase of 8.6% on the previous year. Catalonia was next with 22.2% of the total, then Andalucia with 13.7%. Over the year as a whole, Catalonia took the number 1 spot with 18.9 million visitors, an increase of 9.9% on the previous year. The Balearics was second with 15.1 million, up 6.1%, and the Canaries said hello to 9.6% more visitors with a total of 13.8 million. 

Something that is bucking the trend though is the growth in tourist numbers in areas outside the usual hotspots I’ve already mentioned and the other hotspots of Madrid and Valencia. There’s been a massive 40.9% increase in tourist numbers in those previously less popular regions. 

All in all, a tremendous record breaking year for tourism in Spain, and all of this despite the protests in various parts of Spain where over-tourism is being blamed for the lack of affordable housing, and efforts by local governments to revoke tourist apartment licences. Barcelona for example announced last year they are going to revoke all 10, 101 licences currently in operation by November 2028, and not renewing any of them so that all flats can be made into primary homes to ease the housing crisis there. 

The shortage of housing and the prices of short term tourist rents has pushed rental prices up by 68% in the last 10 years, and purchase prices up by 38%, so the council there are taking drastic measures to  give non-tourists access to housing. Far too many young people leaving their parental homes are being forced to leave Barcelona altogether, which would change the nature of local communities in the city. 

Hotels on the other hand are set to benefit from the clampdown on properties available for tourists on sites like AirBnB, which have a huge number of listings in Barcelona. 

And the latest news announced recently by Prime Minister Sanchez was the idea of a 100% tax on properties bought by non-EU citizens. 

So what will be the effect of all of the protests by locals, the actions by councils, the abolition of the Golden Visa, and, if it happens at all, the massive non-residents’ property tax in 2025 and beyond? Has it affected any of your decisions about visiting Spain or moving here, or whereabouts in Spain you’re choosing to stay? Tell me in the comments.

It certainly sounds like a good idea to expand your horizons away from the usual hotspots and explore the less travelled areas. Spain has so much to offer. It’s not just beaches and the more obvious cities with their well-known landmarks for you to take a selfie with. Don’t just snap, explore and find out about something other than the number of days of sunshine and the price of deckchairs. 

You might surprise yourself. 

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Article by Skatz