British holidaymakers flocked to Spain in record numbers during July this year.
Official statistics show that 9.6 million tourists went to Spain during July and of these Brits accounted for about 25%.
The region around Barcelona saw the greatest rise in tourist numbers, followed by the Balearic islands, the Canary Islands and sunny seaside resorts along the Costa del Sol.
The overall visitor numbers increased by 11% compared to July last year.
Figures for August are still awaited, but the Association of British Travel Agents believes the data will show a leap of 25% for the month. It reported that a total of 13 million British tourists went to Spain last year.
“Spain now accounts for around 20% of the total number of visits by British people abroad,” said a spokeswoman.
As people shun areas previously hit by fanatics, Cuba and Bulgaria have gained visitors while Turkey, Egypt and Tunisia have seen massive declines.
Despite all the perceived benefits of additional tourist spending, residents in some Spanish resorts are feeling the strain imposed by greater numbers. The 67 million tourists this year outstrip the native population of 47 million and the sudden arrival of thousands of day-trippers from cruise ships usually fails to bring in concomitant revenue as they eat and sleep onboard.
Anti-tourist graffiti has sprung up in some resorts and political debate has begun on the right capacity for Spain’s most popular spots.
With the value of sterling down considerably in the wake of the Brexit vote, many holidaymakers are taking up all-inclusive deals, much to the annoyance of some bar owners who tended to rely on thousands of Brits getting drunk in their premises.
Spanish hotel owners, on the other hand, are happier as nearly full occupancy is running through the end of September in many parts of the country, with bookings coming in for October.
