SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE/MADRID, 4 Apr. (EUROPE PRESS) –
Foreign tourism soared in the Canary Islands in February, adding 968,004 visitors compared to the same month of the previous year, which represents an increase of 1,203.2%, according to data published this Monday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE) that place the islands lead in market share with 30.7%.
Thus, the islands already recover 83% of the foreign tourism they had in the same month of 2020, before the pandemic, when 1,170,238 visitors were reached.
The main countries of residence of tourists who come to the islands are the United Kingdom (with 30.9% of the total) and Germany (16.2%).
The Canary Islands also lead destination spending that month with a total of 1,406 million, 37.4% of the total and 1,235.1% more than the previous year, with an average spending per tourist of 1,190 euros (+4.7%). ), at a rate of 136 euros per day (+14.9%), although the duration of the trip fell to 8.8 days, 8.9% less.
In the accumulated of the first two months of the year, the Canary Islands is also the community that receives the most international tourists with more than 1.7 million and an increase of 974.1% compared to the same
period of 2021 while spending also increases by 961.6% to 2,536 million.
Spain received the visit of nearly 3.2 million international tourists in February, 1,007.8% more than in the same month of 2021, which means recovering 71% of international tourists from the pre-pandemic.
The total expenditure made by international tourists who visited Spain last February reached 3,757 million euros, which represents an increase of 1,060.2% compared to the 324 registered in the same month of 2021.
With the rebound in February, both the arrival of international tourists and spending have already accumulated nine consecutive months of year-on-year increases.
The main sending countries in February were the United Kingdom (with 578,568 tourists and an increase of 3,927% compared to the same month in 2021); France (with 514,977 tourists and an increase of 587.2%), and Germany (with 389,741 tourists, 956.9% more).
“In February, the recovery trend in international tourism was consolidated with a growth of more than 670,000 travelers compared to the previous month, which shows the perception of Spain as a safe destination. A trend that we hope will intensify significantly in the face of the first milestone of the 2022 holiday calendar, Holy Week,” said the Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto.
The Government’s forecasts are that in the month of April around 80% of international tourists from the pre-pandemic can be recovered.
In the first two months of 2022, the number of tourists who visited Spain increased by 680.6% and exceeded 5.6 million. In the same period of 2021, a total of 722,947 tourists arrived.
UNITED KINGDOM AND FRANCE, MAIN ISSUER MARKETS
The main sending countries in the first two months of 2022 were the United Kingdom (with 941,718 tourists and an increase of 2,402.7% compared to the same period in 2021), France (with 862,932, and an increase of 347.9%) and Germany. (with 672,021 tourists, 663.7% more).
The Canary Islands were the first main destination for tourists in February, with 30.7% of the total. They are followed by Catalonia (19.6%) and Andalusia (13.5%).
The number of tourists who visited Catalonia increased by 1,039.7% and stood at 619,390 tourists. 31.7% comes from France and 17.6% from the rest of Europe aggregate.
The third community of main destination by number of tourists was Andalusia, with 425,307 and an annual increase of 1,381.2%.
In the accumulated of the first two months of 2022, the communities that received the most tourists are the Canary Islands (with more than 1.7 million and an increase of 974.1% compared to the same period of 2021), Catalonia (with almost 1.1 million and an increase of 674.8%) and Andalucía (with 749,204 tourists, 854.4% more).
The airport route was the one that served as the entrance to the largest number of tourists in February, with 2.6 million, which represents an annual increase of 1,321.9%. By rail, 83.5% more tourists arrived, by road 475.7% more and by port 566.9% more
The number of tourists who used market accommodation as their main mode of accommodation in February increased by 1,056.3% in the annual rate. Within this type, hotel accommodation grew by 1,030.5% and rental housing by 1,957.1%.
For its part, non-market accommodation increased by 861.6%. Tourists staying in the homes of relatives or friends rose by 936.1% and those staying in owned homes by 859.1%.
Leisure, recreation and vacations were the main reason for traveling to Spain for more than 2.6 million tourists in February, which represents an annual increase of 1,519%. For business and professional reasons 213,204 arrived (223.1% more) and for other reasons 311,566 (452.3% more). The majority length of stay among tourists in February was between four and seven nights, with 1.5 million and an annual increase of 1,451.6%.
In February, nearly 2.5 million tourists traveled without a tourist package, which represents an annual increase of 884.1%. 666,489 arrived with a tourist package, 1,988.0% more.
SPENDING RISES
The total expenditure made by international tourists who visited Spain in February reached 3,757 million euros, an increase of 1,060.2% compared to the same month in 2021.
The average expenditure per tourist stands at 1,190 euros, with an annual increase of 4.7%. This expense is above the pre-pandemic stage, when it was 1,066 euros. For its part, the average daily expenditure grew by 14.9%, to 136 euros.
The average duration of the trips was 8.8 days, 0.8 days less than in February 2021.
During the first two months of 2022, the total expenditure of international tourists increased by 768.3% compared to the same period of the previous year, reaching 6,783 million euros.
The main issuing countries in terms of the level of spending in February were the United Kingdom (with 17.9% of the total), Germany (13.1%) and France (10.3%). Spending by tourists residing in the United Kingdom increased by 3,930.0% in the annual rate, that of those from Germany by 956.3% and that of those from France by 644.9%.
In the first two months of 2022, the United Kingdom was the country with the highest accumulated spending (16.5% of the total). They are followed by Germany (13.1%) and France (9.4%).
The autonomous communities of main destination with the greatest weight in tourist spending in February were Canarias (with 37.4% of the total), Cataluña (15.7%) and Comunitat Valenciana (12.6%).
Tourist spending increased by 1,235.1% in the annual rate in the Canary Islands, 977.1% in Catalonia and 1,091.8% in the Valencian Community. The rest of the main destination communities for tourists show positive annual variation rates.
In the first two months of 2022, the main destination communities with the highest accumulated spending were the Canary Islands (with 37.4% of the total), Catalonia (15.1%) and Andalusia (12.5%).
Spending on activities was the main item in February, with 23.4% of total spending and an increase of 1,128.9% compared to the same month in 2021. The following items were spending on international transport (not included in package tourism) and spending on maintenance, with 17.9% and 17.8% of the total, respectively. The former increased by 973.3% in annual rate and the latter by 1,148.2%.
57.8% of total spending in February was made by tourists staying overnight in hotel accommodation, with an annual increase of 922.6%. For its part, spending on non-market accommodation grew by 1,121.1%.
The expenditure of tourists who did not travel with a tourist package (which represents 79.2% of the total) rose by 969.2% in the annual rate. That of those who hire a tourist package increased by 1,615.4%.
