Spain hits record high of 37.9 mln int'l tourists up to July

Spain received a total of 37.9 million international tourists in the first seven months of the year, hitting a record high, according to data released on Friday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism.

The figure meant a 4.7-percent increase when compared to the same period of a year earlier, while in July alone the country saw 8.8 million international tourists enter the country, which meant a 6.3-percent increase when compared with July, 2014.

Tourists arriving from Britain increased by 3.5 percent to 8.7 million in the first seven months of the year, accounting for 23 percent of the total. They were followed by the French, whose arrivals reached 6.1 million, increasing by 7.8 percent on a year-on-year basis.

The number of German visitors reached 5.8 million until July which meant a 1.3-percent rise when compared with a year earlier; they were followed by visitors from Nordic countries and Italy whose arrivals reached 2.9 million and 2.1 million respectively.

The northeastern region of Catalonia was the most popular destination with 9.77 million international tourists in the first seven months of the year. It was followed by the archipelagos of the Canary Islands and Balearic Islands which hosted 6.59 million and 6.52 million tourists respectively.

Spain is the second country in the world in terms of tourism spending and the third in terms of international visitors after France and the United States.

According to Spain's Minister of Tourism, Jose Manuel Soria, the country is expected to hit a new record high in the number of international arrivals, surpassing last year's figure of 64.99 million.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the country could receive up to 68 million international tourists this year. Endit