Madrid/Málaga, (EFE).- Andalusia received 571,873 foreign tourists last January, 76.8% more than in the same month of 2022, and was the third destination community -after the Canary Islands and Catalonia-, with a quota 13.8% of the national total.
Foreign visitors spent 680 million euros in the region in January, 80.5% more than a year earlier, with an average outlay per tourist of 1,188 million (+2.1%), and a daily expenditure of 123 euros ( +27.3%).
This is clear from the surveys of tourist movements at borders (Frontur) and tourist spending (Egatur) published this Friday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The average duration of the trip for international tourists who visited Andalusia in January decreased by 19.8% to stand at 9.7 days. However, it exceeded the national average, which was 8.5 days, and was the second longest after the Valencian Community (10.2 days).
Regarding the origin of foreign tourists in Andalusia, the United Kingdom remains the main country of origin, with 16.3% of visitors, followed by the Nordic countries, with 11.3 percent.
Spain received 4.1 foreign tourists
Spain received 4.1 million foreign tourists in January, which slightly exceeds, by 0.2%, the level before the pandemic, whose total expenditure reached 5,218 million euros, a figure that stands at 9 .2% above that of the same month of 2020.
In year-on-year terms, the volume of international tourists who visited Spain in January represents an increase of 65.8% compared to the same month of the previous year, while their total spending is 71.7% higher than in January 2022, when was 3.040 million.
The average expenditure per tourist stands at 1,258 euros, with an annual increase of 3.5%, while the newspaper grows 19.3%, up to 148 euros, both figures being higher than those of 2020, when they were 1,155 euros and 144 euros, respectively.
The Community of Madrid achieves the highest average expenditure per tourist, with 1,664 euros, 6.8% more than in 2022, followed by the Canary Islands, with 1,416 euros, 4.8% less, both exceeding the pre-pandemic figures.
The average duration of international tourist trips is 8.5 days, which is 1.3 days less than in January 2022 and 0.5 days more than three years ago.
UK surpasses pre-covid figures
The United Kingdom is the main issuing country, with 742,212 tourists, 3.3% more than in January 2020 and 103.6% more than the same month last year, who spent 847 million euros, 16% more than before covid and 90% more than in 2022.
France and Germany are the next countries with the most tourists in January, with 485,116 (39.6% more in annual rate) and 478,258 (69.6% more), respectively, figures in both cases slightly lower than those of the same month of 2020.
Among the rest of the issuing markets, the annual growth in the volume of tourists from the United States stands out, with 139,713 (102.8%), Italy (78.6%) and Ireland (66.1%), although none recovered the levels precovid.
Canary Islands, above the pre-pandemic level
The Canary Islands was the first main destination for foreign tourists in January, with 1.2 million (58.5% more than a year ago), representing 29% of the total, and also in terms of spending, with 1,705 million euros, 50.9% more, exceeding the pre-pandemic figures in both factors.
The following destinations by volume of tourists are Catalonia, with 798,331 (71.6% more and 19.2% of the total) and Andalusia, with 571,873 (76.8% more and 13.8% of the total), although none reach 2020 levels.
In terms of spending, both are ahead of the Community of Madrid, with 879 million euros (126.7% more), while Catalonia captures 804 million (83.7% more) and Andalusia, 680 million (80% more). .5% more).
Spending by foreign tourists in the Community of Madrid and Andalusia is above the pre-pandemic level, while, in the case of Catalonia, it is still below. EFE