Figures just released show that the number of tourists coming to Spain has reached an all-time high this year. However, the overall balance for the Spanish economy is not as positive as it should be. According the the statistics, this year’s tourists spend less and stay for shorter periods than in previous years.

A record 31 million foreign tourists visited Spain between January and July this year, a rise of 6.1 percent compared to the same period in 2004. Last month Spain received 7.4 million international tourists.

Catalonia was the most popular destination in Spain for international tourists in July, and 2.2 million visitors spent a holiday in the Costa Brava or in the mountains inland. The second most popular destination is the Balearic Islands, followed by the Canary Islands, Andalucia (Costa del Sol), Valencian Region (Costa Blanca) and Madrid, in that order.

As usual the UK was the country which sent the most tourists to Spain in July (9.1 percent), followed by Germany (5.

6 percent ), France (4.9 percent) and Italy (1.7 percent).

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