Catalonia welcomed 12.3 million tourists during first half of 2023

Catalonia can now boast some of the most impressive tourism statistics from the first part of 2023.

This is according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE) who have reported that Spain welcomed a record 10.1 million international tourists into their country in August alone which is a major increase 0f 13.9 per cent from this time last year.

It’s all looking good for Spain’s tourism brand after a few tough years following the COVID-19 pandemic as well as a cost of living crisis that has seen many people think twice before shelling out thousands for holidays during summer months or the school holidays.

However, some areas have certainly been doing better than others in 2023, and Catalonia is leading the way when it comes to tourists who have visited communities classed as designated tourist destinations.

Which areas of Spain have been the most popular with tourists?

According to this latest data, Catalonia welcomed 12.3 million tourists during the first part of 2023, and this was then closely followed by the Balearic Islands which saw 10.5 million tourists enter, in third place, it was the ever-popular holiday destination, the Canary Islands who can boast a very respectable 8.9 million tourists.

Catalonia has always been a very popular tourist destination with so much to do and see including football matches, heritage sites and buildings, not to mention some world-class food on offer including stunning tapas dishes.

It would not be a surprise to see those figures keep ticking over during the end of this year because the world-famous Sagrada Familia has finally been finished this week after what has felt like an eternity of work to keep it looking clean, fresh and modern.

The Sagrada Familia is a building which people travel thousands of miles to see and take tours of inside and while the scaffolding around it wasn’t ideal, people still loved it and now it will only go to the next level.

Where are people from the United Kingdom going to in Spain?

Last month there was even more positive news for the Balearic Islands – who came in just behind Catalonia – because they rank first for tourists and accounted for 23.3 per cent of all tourism in August.

Catalonia was still going strong just behind as they accounted for 21.1 per cent of all tourism last month showing that people from all over the world simply can’t get enough of the region and what it offers them for a holiday or weekend break.

When it comes to other areas of Spain that are well-loved by the United Kingdom and others across the world, Andalucia ranks very highly. According to the INE, Andalucia welcomed 1.4 million tourists last month and people from the UK accounted for 20.8 per cent of everyone who entered as a tourist.