Mallorca looks to all set to get one last holiday season boost at the end of this month with Britons desperate to grab a holiday before the country gets battered by Storm Bran which if forecast to hit most of the nation in a few weeks time. On the Beach has told the Daily Star that bookings to fly out of the UK next Friday and Saturday have surged by 68%.
Zoe Harris, of holiday booking site On the Beach, which published the data, said: “Last October’s storms delivered a wet and windy half term for millions. This year, Brits clearly aren’t taking any chances, we’re seeing a proper weather rebellion. Families are done with drizzle and are jetting off for guaranteed blue skies instead.”
This continued interest in Spain is going to further cement the UK as the country’s biggest source market and the British visitors as the biggest spenders. In terms of visitors, the main source countries in the first eight months of the year were the United Kingdom (with nearly 13.2 million and an increase of 4.3% compared to the same period in 2024); France (with almost 9.2 million and an increase of 0.1%), and Germany (with more than 8.2 million and an increase of 2%). So, who have been the big cash winners so far this year?
In August, the increase in spending by international tourists was 3.8 points higher than the increase in the number of foreign visitors. Spain received 11.3 million international tourists (+2.9%), who generated total spending of over €16.39 billion (+6.7%). In August the main countries of origin in terms of spending were the United Kingdom (with 19.2% of the total), France (13.4%) and Germany (11.1%). Spending by tourists residing in the United Kingdom increased by 3.8% year-on-year, that of France by 1.4% and that of Germany by 10%.
The autonomous communities with the highest weight in tourist spending in August were the Balearic Islands (with 23.9% of the total), Catalonia (19%) and Andalusia (14.5%). Tourist spending increased by 9.8% year-on-year in the Balearic Islands, 1.8% in Catalonia and 4.1% in Andalusia. Average spending per tourist was €1,457, with an annual increase of 3.6%. Average daily spending grew by 4.9% to €198.