Fewer tourists, but almost the same expenditure. Despite the fact that, by number, international visitors arriving in Spain still have not reached pre-pandemic levels (in May there were 7 million tourists), they do match them in terms of the money spent during their stay. Tourist spending reached €8bn in May, according to data released by the National Statistics Institute (INE) on Monday. This is almost six times more than the figure for the same month in 2021 (€1.4bn) and reaches pre-pandemic levels, i.e. 2019, when tourists spent €8.1bn. This scenario lead the sector to optimism in the run-up to the high season, which is now starting.