International Tourism Statistics for Andalucia

Map of Andalucia showing 8 provinces
Map of Andalucia showing 8 provinces

International Tourist Statistics for Andalucia

2023 figures - the recovery continues

Official data by INE (National Statistics Institute, see table below) for 2023 recorded 12.2 million international arrivals to Andalucia, a record year, just overtaking the 12.02 million in 2019. This means that international tourism numbers in Andalucia returned to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, which is a hugely significant moment for the tourism industry here. 

Figures should only be compared to those from 2019 (see below), the last "normal" year, to indicate the recovery of tourism after the pandemic. International tourists to Andalucia are defined as those making an overnight stay, whose country of residence is not Spain, and whose main destination in Spain is to Andalucia.

However international arrivals in 2023 were not the same for all countries. The UK, which is the biggest country for tourist arrivals here in Andalucia, still has a way to go to recover pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, UK arrivals were 2.65 million, ahead of 2022's 2.40 million but only 88 % of  2019 pre-pandemic year of 3.01 million tourists.

 

2020 to 2022: from pre-pandemic record levels to post-pandemic recovery

In 2019, the last pre-pandemic year, Andalucia received 10.8 million international tourists, which was the highest ever recorded, and greeted with delight by the regional government. This figure was 3.4% up on 2018, and in line with consistent growth from 2010 to 2019.

In 2020, the first year of the Covid pandemic, Andalucia received only 2.7 million international tourists. January and February were up about 3% on 2019, but after mid-March when the Coronavirus pandemic.struck, borders were closed until mid-July, when restrictions and/or tests made it complicated for international tourists to visit.

In 2021 the recovery started - Andalucia received 4.2 million international tourists, about a third of pre-pandemic levels. In the second half of the year, as restrictions eased international tourist numbers increased, with October / November reaching about 75% of 2019 levels (see monthly table, below). However the Omicron variant of the Coronavirus at the end of the year caused a reduction in reservations for the 2022 holiday season, which usually see a boost in January.

The 2021 national tourist arrivals (including Andalucian tourists) increased substantially in 2021, with close to 20 million tourists helping the economy of the tourism, and especially the hotel, sector. Of the 20 million, 77% were national, and about half of these were Andalucian residents travelling within Andalucia, possibly helped by the hotel discount voucher offered by the regional government. This supported the local destinations' economies, but not the Andalucian tourism economy as a whole.

In 2022 Andalucia received 10 million international tourists. This is equivalent to 83% of the 2019 peak, and similar to the 2015/6 figures. 

These figures would place Andalucia, if it were a country, about 25th in a world league of foreign tourist arrivals.

Internationally 2022 started slowly, since the Covid wave over New Year delayed summer reservations. January 2022, for example, saw 56% international arrivals compared to 2019 levels, but UK arrivals were only back to 39%.

In the first half of 2022, international tourists were at 77% of 2019 levels. Many reports optimistically predicted that 2022 would be a bumper summer for travel to Spain, and indeed the second half of the year recorded a more impressive 89%. 

 

 

    International Tourists in Andalucia - by year

    In the table we observe the increase in international (ie non Spanish) tourist arrivals to Andalucia. A general increase from 2000 to 2007, then the fall to 2010, followed by the rise back to 2019, then the pandemic in 2020/1 and the recovery in 2022 and 2023.

     

    Year International Tourists
       
    2000
    6,991,973
    2001
    7,591,511
    2002
    7,686,167
    2003
    7,908,400
    2004
    7,943,253
    2005
    8,351,628
    2006
    7,975,629
    2007
    8,429,556
    2008
    7,975,202
    2009
    7,465,415
    2010
    7,437,435
    2011
    7,884,875
    2012
    7,577,651
    2013
    7,871,110
    2014 8,501,990
    2015
    9,365,233
    2016 10,570,898
    2017 11,520,000
    2018 11,680,000
    2019 12,023,153
    2020 2,700,613
    2021 4,248,340
    2022 10,011,509
    2023 12,200,666

    Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica. Movimentos turisticas en frontera. Frontur
    .

    International Tourists to Andalucia - by month

    Month 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
            (% 2022 of 2019) (% 2023 of 2019)
               
    January 574,761 605,491 49,789 323,896  (56%) 571,873 (99 %) 
    February 626,983 626,653 28,715 425,307 (68%) 611,588 (97 %)
    March 842,934 298,332 51,049 609,437 (72%) 803,139 (9 5%)
    April 1,131,483 0 83,006 907,596 (80%) 1,156,341 (102 %)
    May 1,204,749 0 166,171 1,036,243 (86%) 1,211,790 (101 %)
    June 1,243,394 13,997 296,125 1,009,404  (81%) 1,158,887 (93 %)
    July 1,256,656 359,754 555,120 1,119,763 (89%) 1,347.864 (107 %)
    August 1,403,702 363,850 699,075 1,285,299 (92%) 1,441,316 (103 %)
    September 1,375,342 179,190 687,624 1,115,222 (81%) 1,310,845 (95 %)
    October 1,191,120 143,610 813,081 1,049,705 (88%) 1,242,189  (104 %)
    November 614,169 49,175 486,298 593,559 (97%) 719,414 (117 %)
    December 557,861 60.600 332,287 536,087 (96%) 625,424 (112 %)
               
    Total 12,023,153     10,009,890 (83%) 12,200,666 (112 %)

    Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica. Movimentos turisticas en frontera. Frontur 
    Data published by INE five weeks after end of month.

    British Tourists to Andalucia - by month

    Month British Tourists 
    2019
    British Tourists
    2020
    British Tourists
    2021
    British Tourists
    2022
    British Tourists
    2023
            (% 2022 of 2019) (% 2023 of 2019)
               
    January 122,322 112,897 6,287 48,037 (39 %) 93,416 (76 %)
    February  150,208 153,590 1,507 81,634 (54 %) 117,385 (78 %)
    March 229,738 82,073 5,513 151,808 (66 %) 213,345 (93 %)
    April 296,588 0 3,944 230,998 (78 %) 251,889 (85 %)
    May 356,600 0 14,497 288,035 (81 %) 308,922 (87 %)
    June 312,606 0 26,532 281,405 (90 %) 281,841 (86 %)
    July 326,841 76,069 70,386 277,508 (85 %) 302,751 (93 %)
    August 327,039 65,904 115,835 298,742 (91 %) 299,351 (91 %)
    September 331,482 41,809 144,216 288,683 (87 %) 291,500 (87 %)
    October 291,640 31,883 169,647 227,972 (78 %) 271,181 (93 %)
    November 138,247 8,959 93,061 124,700 (90 %) 135,599 (98 %)
    December 129,537 7,676 49,790 100,224 (77 %) 109,924 (85%)
               
    Total Year 3,012,848 580,860 701,215 2,399,746 (80 %)  2,652,101 (88 %)

    Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica. Movimentos turisticas en frontera. Frontur data
    Data published by INE five weeks after end of month. 
     

    Compare tourists by country - Summer 2019 and 2023

    If international tourist to Andalucia is just above 2019 level and UK is down, which countries are up? In the table below, which just looks at the summer school holiday months of July and August one can see which countries have increased and which have descreased. Countried with less than about 25.000 per mont are not included in the published Data.

      July and August 2019 July and August 2023 Change %
           
    Morocco 112.874 73.464 -35
    Norway 70.945 55.351 -22
    Switzerland 50.113 40.354 -19
    Finland 35.906 29.279 -18
    France 364.490 324.015 -11
    UK 653.880 602.102 -8
    Germany 183.157 172.558 -6
    Belgium 137.106 130.673 -5
    Sweden 86.527 87.618 1
    Ireland 137.508 149.588 9
    Denmark 70.084 78.501 12
    Rest of Europe 114.932 154.803 35
    Holland 118.397 159.955 35
    Portugal 176.333 249.812 42
    Rest of World 41.241 61.439 49
    USA 52.668 84.251 60
    Italy 103.555 180.834 75

    Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica. Movimentos turisticas en frontera. Frontur data

     

    Tourist visits to towns in Andalucia

    Tourist visits to towns in Andalucia are measured by INE from hotel occupation records. They don't reflect when a town receives day trip visits only overnight stays. A tourist staying serveral nights is counted once however a tourist changing hotel will be counted twice.

    Town (2019) International Tourists Spanish Residents
         
    Almería 87,161 237,107
    Mojácar 46,902 194,636
    Níjar 16,616 66,556
    Roquetas de Mar 133,337 439,087
    Algeciras 129,688 117,489
    Arcos de la Frontera 17,754 39,855
    Cádiz 115,828 148,695
    Jerez de la Frontera 115,782 199,941
    Puerto de Santa María, El 39,151 167,615
    Tarifa 79,172 89,282
    Córdoba 449,314 521,672
    Granada 1,100,048 901,413
    Cazorla 3,412 40,923
    Antequera 49,053 96,701
    Benalmádena 372,233 237,921
    Estepona 206,683 113,673
    Fuengirola 320,786 189,737
    Málaga 873,932 539,295
    Marbella 553,379 208,082
     Nerja 142,738 83,137
    Ronda 163,478 98,650
    Torremolinos 630,216 397,859
    Sevilla 1,630,446 1,180,906

    Source: Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadistica.

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