The first six months of the year have been historic for Madrid’s tourism sector. International tourism in the Spanish capital generated €10.007 billion in spending, while the city welcomed no less than 5.66 million tourists.
Spain’s National Statistics Institute (Instituto Nacional de Estadística or INE) just published the tourism data for the forst half of 2026, proving that the city of Madrid has passed a new milestone in terms of tourism. Between January and June 2026, international tourism spending reached €10.007, which represents a 11.4% increase compared to the same period in 2025.
Throughout the first six months of the year, international tourists spent €63.84 billion across Spain, a year-on-year increase of 7%. The Madrid region amounted to 15.7% of the national total, only slightly behind the Canary Islands and Catalonia.
However, the total budget spent by international tourists is not the only number on the rise. Madrid also welcomed some 5.66 million visitors, up 4.1% when compared with 2025. The biggest part of the international market was taken up by American travellers, amounting to 567,000 arrivals and 1.3 million overnight stays. Italy and the United Kingdom completed the top three. The fastest-growing market, however, was Brazil. Brazilian arrivals increased by 30% compared to 2025, while the amount of Brazilian overnight stays rose by 24%.
Overall, international visitors represented 59% of the arrivals, generating two out of every three hotel nights.
“Exceeding 10 billion euros in international visitor spending demonstrates the considerable appeal that Madrid has built at both national and international level. Tourism is a driver of development for the city, generating economic activity in neighbourhoods and creating stable employment for thousands of Madrid residents. Every euro spent by visitors is reinvested in the city and in the services used by Madrid residents,’ Almudena Maíllo, Madrid’s Councillor for Tourism.
Regarding overnight stays, the city registered just under 12 million (11,961,895) in the first six months of the year and international visitors stayed for 2.38 nights on average. By the end of June 2026, Madrid counted 920 accommodations, some 48,600 rooms, and over 96,000 beds. The hospitality sector employed 15,249 workers, up 5.4% compared to 2025.
When concentrating one the month of June 2026, Madrid saw 884,881 tourist arrivals, an increase of 13.9% compared to 2025 and an all-time record for the month of June. Spending reached 1.86 billion euros, 7.3% more than in June 2025.
Regarding budget, the daily spending per tourist experienced decreased by 12.5% compared to June 2025. On average, people visiting Madrid spend €288 per day, slightly more than the Spanish national average of €211.
Madrid’s record-breaking six months can be explained through multiple factors. For example, the city was recently named as the new global headquarters of the World Travel & Tourism Council, while Spain’s Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, inaugurated the new headquarters of UN Tourism at the end of June 2026. Moreover, European Best Destinations selected Madrid as Europe’s best destination for 2026 at the start of the year, a decision based on the city’s appeal which undoubtedly also caused a wave of arrivals in its turn.
