Last updated: March 14, 2022, by Grant Thomas
đź”–Cite this webpage (Thomas, Grant. “2020 – Spain Travel Statistics & Data”. visasassociation.com, March 14, 2022, https://visasassociation.com/statistics/2020-spain-travel-statistics)Â
Note: The latest statistics and travel data available about Spain is for 2020. We will update this page as soon as Spain’s 2021 travel data and statistics are available.
Highlights: 2020 Spain Tourism Statistics & TrendsÂ
- Schengen Visa applications for Spain dropped by 82% in 2020.
- In 2020, Spain’s Schengen Visa approval rate was 82.6%.
- In 2020, the number of overnight stays in Spanish accommodation establishments dropped by 73%.
- In 2020, the number of international tourists in Spain dropped by 71%.
- In 2019, Spain was the most visited European country, with 299 million overnight stays in tourist accommodation (22% of the EU total).
- In November 2021, Spain received more than 3.3 million international tourists, 86% more over the same period of 2020.
- In November 2021, international tourism expenditure amounted to 3.748 million euros, 87% more than in November 2020.
- The average expenditure per tourist was 1.119 euros in November 2021, 6.1% more than in November 2020.
- In the third quarter of 2021, Spain’s number of domestic trips increased by 23.6%.
- In November 2021, overnight stays in non-hotel tourist accommodations reached 5.2 million, 73% more than in November 2020.
- In 2021, hotel prices grew by 12.9%.
- In 2020, Barcelona was the city that received the highest number of international tourists at Spanish hotels, with more than 1.3 million.
- In 2020, 89% of domestic and international trips to Spain were taken for leisure.
- In 2020, business travel accounted for 11% of the expenditures made by travellers in Spain.
- The BasĂlica de la Sagrada Familia was the most popular Spanish tourist attraction in 2021, with over 150 thousand Google reviews.
- Between 2015 and 2019, Russia was the country that submitted the highest number of Visa applications for Spain (over 450,000).
- Between 2015 and 2021, France was the leading country for international tourism in Spain.
- Between 2015 and 2021, UK was the country with the highest tourism spending in Spain.
Covid’s Impact on Schengen Visa Applications & International Tourist Arrivals in Spain
The coronavirus pandemic outbreak has badly hit the Spanish economy, leading to a drop of over 70% in the number of international tourists and the value of goods and services offered by the tourism industry.
Before COVID-19 hit, travel and tourism was a leading economic sector in Spain, bringing an ongoing contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). According to the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), Spain ranked second on the list of the most popular destinations in the world in 2018.
After the COVID-19 outbreak, Spain lost nearly 110 billion euros of tourism contribution to the country’s GDP. Moreover, Spain recorded roughly 800,000 job losses in the tourism industry after one year into the pandemic.
- In 2020, Spain received 340,000 Schengen Visa applications, 82% or 1,572,000 fewer than in 2019.
- Spain issued 263,000 Schengen Visas in 2020, 84% or 1,400,000 fewer than in 2019.
- Spain’s Visa approval rate dropped to 82.6%, 7.4 points less than in 2019.
- In 2020, tourism activity represented 5.5% of Spain’s GDP, nearly 7 points less than in 2019.
- The number of foreign tourists in Spain dropped to 36.48 million in 2020, 71% or 89.69 million fewer than in 2019.
- The number of overnight stays in accommodation establishments dropped to nearly 91.7 million in 2020, 73% or 251.33 million fewer than in 2019.
- The contribution of the tourism sector to GDP in Spain dropped to 48.05 billion euros, 60% or 106.44 billion euros less than in 2019.
- In 2020, the value of international travel receipts was 16.2 billion euros, 77% or 55 billion euros less than in 2019.
- In 2020, domestic tourists represented the largest share of Spain’s total tourism expenditure (63%).
- In 2021, overnight stays in accommodation establishments increased by 86.7% compared to 2020, but they remained 50% below pre-pandemic levels.
- In 2020, the average tourist spending per person per trip dropped to 634.31 euros, 18% or 144.9 euros less than in 2019.
- In 2020, international tourists accounted for less than 40% of the total tourism spending in Spain.
Schengen Visa Applications and Tourism in Spain – 2020 Trends
- Spain’s Schengen Visa approval rate from 2015 to 2020
- Countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Spain from 2015 to 2020
- In 2020, Spain ranked no. 3 for the number of Schengen Visa applications received
- Top 5 countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Spain in 2020
- Approval rates for the countries that submitted the highest number of Schengen Visa applications for Spain in 2020
- Top 5 third countries that had the highest rejection rates for the Schengen Visa for Spain in 2020
- Number of international tourists in Spain from 2015 to 2020
- Number of overnight stays in Spain by guests of hostels and hotels from 2015 to 2020
- Contribution of the tourism sector to GDP in Spain from 2015 to 2020
- International travel receipts in Spain from 2015 to 2020
- Most visited cities by international tourists in Spain in 2020
- Top 5 leading source markets for inbound tourism in Spain in 2020
- Spain: Share of overnight visitors and same-day visitors from 2015 to 2021
- Spain: Average tourist spending per trip per person from 2015 to 2021
- Spain: Average tourist spending per person per day from 2015 to 2021
- Share of the total GDP generated by the travel and tourism industry in Spain between 2015 and 2020
Sources:
European Commission – Statistics on short-stay visas issued by the Schengen States
European Travel Commission – EUROPEAN TOURISM: TRENDS & PROSPECTS Quarterly report (Q2/2021)
STATISTA – International Tourism in Spain – Statistics & Facts
National Institute of Statistics – INE
epdata.es – El turismo en España y en el mundo, en datos y gráficos
