'Record-breaking summer' for foreign tourists
Thursday, October 23, 2014 @ 9:09 AM
TOURIST numbers in Spain this summer were the best on record with a total of 31 million visitors from abroad in July, August and September, says the ministry of industry.
So far, 52.4 million foreign holidaymakers have visited Spain in 2014, and the government predicts the year will close with a figure of 62 million - the highest in history.
Statistics are only available until the end of September, which means around 3.3 million a month are expected to have arrived this month, and again in November and December.
With an increase of 7.4% on last year, this includes an overwhelming seven million in September alone - 8.1% more than last year - partly due to an Indian summer which has seen temperatures of above 30ºC in the last two months in the south, east and the islands.
Despite predictions two years ago that the face of foreign tourism and holiday-home buying in Spain would be Russian, the number of visitors from the eastern country have plummeted this year by 7.6% across the board - 1.13 million fewer - and 19.5% in September alone, with 193,600 fewer than in the same month in 2013.
But the more 'traditional' markets Spain has been popular with for decades continue to be faithful to the country and to grow in number.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com