Heir sees "probable" that Spain exceeds 100 million foreign tourists in 2026: "We will celebrate it at the end of the year"
The State expects to receive at least 43 million visitors from third countries this summer alone, according to Spanish government estimates
BarcelonaThe Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, has considered it "probable" that Spain will receive more than 100 million foreign tourists this year. According to the minister, if the current trend continues, it is likely that this figure of visitors will be surpassed, which would be a historic record: "We will celebrate it at the end of the year," he said at a press conference in Madrid where he presented the Spanish government's forecasts for the tourism sector this summer.
Specifically, the Spanish government predicts that 43 million foreign tourists will visit Spanish territory between June and September of this year. The forecasts represent an increase in visitors of 6% compared to the same months last year. In addition, it is estimated that these tourists will spend a total of 64 billion euros, 10% more than they spent last year. Hereu welcomed this data and stressed that Spanish policies to encourage tourism "are yielding results".
If the forecasts for this summer are met, and adding the data from January to May, Spain could reach the figure of 80 million foreign tourists before October, which would be another record, and without considering the data from the last quarters of the year, when there is another peak in visitor arrivals coinciding with the high Christmas season. In fact, in 2025 the state tourism sector already broke a record and left the total number of tourists from other countries visiting the territory at 97 million, close to the symbolic barrier of 100 million.
left the total number of tourists from other countries visiting the territory at 97 million, close to the symbolic barrier of 100 million.
"The forecasts demonstrate the great performance and vigor of national tourism," said the minister, who stated that inland territories will grow more in terms of spending than the six autonomous communities with the most tourism. Specifically, according to the ministry's projections, during the summer, communities with less tourism will experience year-on-year spending growth rates of between 8% and 10%, while growth rates in the most popular territories will fluctuate between 5% and 6%.
Likewise, regarding employment, tourist affiliation is at its peak, with more than three million workers employed in the sector. Furthermore, as the minister explained, this year also sees a reduction in temporary employment, which last year affected one in three workers but now impacts one in five.
Growth since the beginning of the year
Between January and May, Spain received 36.8 million international tourists, 5% more than in the first five months of last year. Spending in destination rose, in this period, to 50,257 million euros, 7.8% more. As Hereu assured, these figures have "surprised" them, given the effects and uncertainty that the crisis in the Middle East had caused in the sector.
In fact, the data presented this Monday has notably improved the forecasts made last March, which were marked by uncertainty in the price of fuels and emitting countries. After the great uncertainty of spring, which affected Spain and all countries, "now we can design a more defined reality and have more consistent data," said Hereu. All the data, remarked the Minister of Tourism, "demonstrate that the tourism model in Spain is very resilient, as it has once again faced new challenges with great strength and has been able to adapt to international events".