Spain expects tourist arrivals to continue rising in 2026.

Spain expects to welcome more foreign visitors and see higher overall tourist spending in 2026, after hosting a record 97 million international tourists last year, Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu said on Thursday.

“If growth continues this year, we could reach 100 million foreign tourists, but that is not our main focus,” Hereu said. He noted that last year’s arrivals were up 3.5 percent compared with 2024, while tourism revenues rose 6.8 percent to €135 billion ($157 billion).

Spain is the world’s second most visited country after France, and tourism remains a key driver of its economy, which has significantly outperformed its European peers over the past two years. According to tourism industry lobby group Exceltur, the sector accounted for an estimated 13 percent of Spain’s gross domestic product in 2025.

Looking ahead, Hereu said that during the first four months of this year — including the busy Easter holiday period — authorities expect a 3.7 percent increase in foreign visitors to around 26 million people. Tourist spending during this period is forecast at €35 billion, up 2.5 percent from the same period last year.

However, Spain’s tourism boom has also sparked tensions in several popular destinations, with concerns over rising housing costs, congestion and environmental degradation. Some hotspots, including Ibiza, have tightened regulations on short-term rentals.

Hereu said Spain is gradually moving away from seasonal tourism patterns. Data show that tourist spending has increased by 53 percent in the low and mid-seasons compared with pre-pandemic 2019 levels, while spending in the high season has risen by 34 percent. He added that two-thirds of tourists who visited Spain in 2025 plan to return, citing the country’s safety, and said there were no signs that global geopolitical tensions were affecting flight availability or booking trends.