Briefing
The Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE) published preliminary results for the “Cuenta de impuestos ambientales” for 2025 on 2 October 2026 preliminary results of the Encuesta de Gasto Turístico (EGATUR) for August 2026. They show that total spending by international visitors to Spain during the reporting month amounted to €17.838 billion, an increase of 9.2% compared with August 2025. The INE explicitly notes that these figures are preliminary; the time series are scheduled for revision in March 2027.
Key figures: gasto medio diario – average daily expenditure per person – rose by 1.9% to €202. The average amount per stay was €1,455, almost unchanged from the previous year. By country of origin, 18.9% of the total in August came from the Reino Unido, 12.6% from France and 11.1% from Germany. Cumulatively, from January to August 2026, spending totalled €99.892 billion (+8.0% compared with the same period the previous year).
Regionally, the leading destinations in August were Illes Balears (22.8% of the total), Catalonia (18.7%) and Andalusia (15.7%). In terms of spending structure, Alojamiento hotelero remained the dominant category: 63.4% of recorded spending went on hotel accommodation; this category saw annual growth of 7.4%. Other significant items were package travel and activities, which together account for a substantial share of the spending mix.
The preliminary data point to a combination of more visitors and some increase in the value of demand, for example through higher spending on accommodation and activities. In the short term, this means higher revenues for the hospitality sector in tourism-focused regions, but also greater pressure on infrastructure, the labour market and environmental goals. The INE note stresses that minor adjustments to monthly and regional figures are possible before the revision; on the data currently available, the overall picture of strong spending growth in August 2026 remains unchanged.
Editor: Daniel Mayer (Article created with AI assistance).