Spain hits record tourist arrivals in May, eyes 100 million

Tourism in Spain: record May and on the road to 100 million a year

Spain's statistics institute, the INE, has just released May's figures: 10.2 million international tourists, up 9.5% on last year. It is the first time the 10 million barrier has been broken in the month of May. At this pace, the milestone of 100 million travellers a year — which once seemed distant — is now within reach by 2026. The British market remains king: 2.18 million arrivals, 21.3% of the total, with growth of 6.1%.

But the optimism of the figures clashes with the reality on the ground. While official data paint a picture of an unstoppable sector, those who live in tourist destinations describe something else: queues, soaring prices, strained public services and the feeling that a few collect the profits while everyone pays the costs. Some argue the tolerable limit is 80 million and that exceeding it is madness. Others, more conspiratorial, claim the figures are fake and there are actually fewer tourists — an argument hard to sustain when airports and hotels can barely cope.

What is certain is that the geopolitical context is playing in the Mediterranean's favour. The Middle East and North Africa are unstable; the United States has become more expensive; Russia remains closed. The average European is looking for safety and proximity, and Spain is the natural destination. But that success comes at a price: congestion, rising housing costs, infrastructure at breaking point and a model that, for many, does more harm than good.

---

The key question remains unanswered: tourism is a money-making machine, but for whom? The debate, like the sector itself, gives no respite.