As Spain’s travel and tourism sector grapples with overtourism and new rules come into force to deal with some of the associated problems, it is predicted to achieve a record GDP contribution of €260.5 billion in 2025, equivalent to almost 16% of the national economy, according to a new analysis from The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC).
Record numbers
The Economic Impact Research (EIR), prepared by WTTC in collaboration with Oxford Economics, shows that having achieved its best result since 2019, growing 11% and making a contribution of almost €249 billion to GDP in 2024, the Spanish sector is predicted to grow 4.7% year-on-year.
The main source countries for arrivals into Spain in 2024 were the United Kingdom (20%), France (14%) and Germany (13%). In addition, a record 4.2 million US tourists visited Spain, marking an 11.2% increase compared to the previous year. The growth is partly attributed to connectivity, with Spain offering 24 direct routes to the United States, connecting 11 US cities with five Spanish cities. Meanwhile, the destinations most visited by Spaniards were France (25%), Italy (14%), the United Kingdom (8%) and Portugal (8%).
“A true global tourism powerhouse”
The new EIR forecast projects that by the end of 2025 the sector will account for 3.2 million jobs in Spain, equivalent to 14.4% of total employment. Spending by international tourists is expected to reach €113.2 billion, with a year-on-year growth of 5.7%, while domestic spending could reach €84.9 billion, 2.4% more than the previous year.
Commenting on the report, Julia Simpson, President and CEO of WTTC, hailed Spain as “a truly global tourism powerhouse,” and added: “The data reflects a dynamic, resilient and constantly evolving sector, which not only drives economic growth but also creates quality jobs and promotes regional development. The forecasts for 2025 are very positive, and with a firm commitment to sustainability and innovation, Spain is well positioned to lead the future of global tourism, even in a challenging international environment.”
The EU region
In terms of the European Union region, the travel and tourism sector contributed almost €1.8 trillion to the bloc’s GDP, or more than 10% of its economy, in 2024, exceeding pre-COVID-19 levels by almost 6%. Employment associated with the sector grew by 4.7%, year-on-year, to 24.6 million jobs, accounting for one in nine jobs across the region.
Domestic travel spending in the EU reached €1 trillion while spending by international visitors reached €515 billion. Those figures are expected to grow, by more than 11% to €573 billion for international spending, while domestic spending is set to increase by 1.6% to more than €1.1 trillion, the Council says.
By the end of 2025, the WTTC anticipates that the regional sector will reach almost €1.9 trillion, representing 10.5% of the EU economy. Employment linked to the sector is estimated to total 25.7 million people or 12% of the regional total.
