Spain receives 9.2 mln int'l tourists in August

Spain received a total of 9.2 million international tourists in August, which becomes August in the best year in history, according to data released on Tuesday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism.

Tourists arriving from Britain rose by 0.5 percent in August year-on-year to a total of 2.1 million. They were followed by the French and the Germans, whose arrivals reached 2.08 million and 1.18 million respectively.

The Ministry reported a total of 47.2 million international tourists in the first eight months of the year, which meant a 4.1 percent increase when compared with the same period of a year earlier.

The number of British tourists reached 10.8 million in the first eight months of the year, rising by 2.9 percent when compared with the same period of a year earlier. They accounted for 23.3 percent of the total.

The British were followed by the French, whose arrivals reached 8.1 million, a 7.1 percent rise on the same period of a year earlier. They represented 17.2 percent of the total of international visitors.

Meanwhile, a total of 7,083 German tourists arrived in Spain from January to August, which meant a 0.4 percent decrease in comparison with the same period of a year earlier.

The northeastern region of Catalonia was the main destination chosen by foreigners in the first eight months of the year, receiving 12.119 million international tourists.

The archipelagos of the Balearic and Canary Islands were the second and third main destinations with 8.7 million and 7.5 million of arrivals respectively. Endit