More than 5.3 million international tourists visited the Valencian region during first half of 2024
British citizens accounted for more than a quarter of the visits followed by those from the Nordic countries, France, the Netherlands, Italy and Germany.
According to the latest figures published by the Spanish Statistical Office (INE), the Comunidad Valenciana has registered a new record for international tourists visiting the region during the first half of 2024 with 5,309,844 foreign citizens visiting the region, almost 20% more than the same period last year. And these visitors have spent more than 6.4 billion euros, an increase of 28% on the previous year and one of the highest outlays at national level.
The figures have been derived from surveys carried out by the INE based on data provided by the Statistics on Tourist Movements at Borders (FRONTUR) and Survey of Tourist Expenditure (EGATUR). They break all historical records as the upward trend in foreign tourism to the Valencian region continues.
The market which has seen the biggest increase in accumulated foreign spending in the region has been the British market which has spent almost 1.6 billion euros during the six months of the year, 33% more than the first half of 2023. Visitors from the Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) spent 767 million euros, up 37.4% on the previous year, whilst those from France spent 703 million euros, up 17.6%.
Between January and June, each visitor spent an average of 1,212 euros in the region, 6.6% more than the previous year, with an average stay of 9.3 days, 4.3% higher than 2023. The average daily expenditure stands at 130 euros per person, up 2.3% on last year.
The Minister of Innovation, Industry, Trade and Tourism, Nuria Montes, highlighted that the increase in expenditure “shows a qualitative leap in our tourism after a few years in which the Comunidad Valenciana had lost its competitive position among Spanish tourist regions”, adding that “our success is not measured by volume, but by how the expenditure of foreign tourists is increasing”.
Tourist Visits by Market
By market, the most important nationality for the Comunidad Valenciana continues to be the United Kingdom, with the arrival of 1,419,811 British tourists in the first half of the year, 18.7% more than in 2023.
This is followed by France with 823,189 tourists, 18% more than in the same period of the previous year; the Nordic countries with 487,095 tourists, 22.6% more year-on-year; and the Netherlands, with the visit of 397,308 visitors, which represents a growth of 17.3%.
In addition, the German market grows by 24.5% with the visit of 374,833 Germans in the first six months of the year and tourists from Italy numbering 272,146, 23.9% more than in the same period of the previous year.
Results for June
In June alone, international tourists who visited the Comunidad Valencia amounted to 1,120,102, an increase of 19.5% year-on-year; and they spent 1.4 billion euros, which represents an increase of 26.3% compared to June last year.
In this same month, each visitor spent an average of 1,253 euros, 5.7% more; and spending per day reached 132 euros, 2.7% more year-on-year. The duration of the majority of tourists’ stays was 9.5 days with 10.6 million overnight stays, which represents an increase of 23% compared to June 2023.
By market, the main visitors have been the British, French and Nordic countries, the latter with a notable year-on-year increase of 41.2%. Italian arrivals up 25.2% in June, German arrivals up 3%.
