According to The Guardian, 96.8 million foreign tourists visited Spain in 2025. In the first quarter of this year, tourist arrivals rose by another 3.4%, while tourist spending increased by 6.7%.
The rise in tourist numbers is putting increased pressure on the country’s major destinations. Barcelona, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands have been facing protests by local residents for several years now, as they link the tourism boom to rising housing prices and infrastructure overload.
“I truly believe that in some regions, people are demanding better tourism—in the sense of a better model. Our guiding principle is that we advocate for transforming this model to stay one step ahead, because the old formulas no longer work,” said Spain’s Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Ereu, in an interview with The Guardian.
The authorities intend to more actively promote lesser-known destinations, including Galicia, Asturias, Navarre, and Extremadura. According to The Guardian, the new campaign,“Think You Know Spain? Think Again,” aims to attract tourists to regions outside traditional resort areas and reduce pressure on the country’s most visited destinations.
It should be noted that tourism remains one of the key sectors of the Spanish economy. Spending by foreign tourists in Spain in 2025 totaled 134.7 billion euros—an increase of nearly 7%.
