Is Spain seeing a drop in tourists this summer?

Certain areas in Spain have long been plagued by overtourism, with residents complaining of crowding, steep price increases and proliferation in the amount of tourist accommodation.

In recent years there have been several anti-tourism protests, which reached a peak last year as locals in the Balearics, the Canaries, Barcelona, Málaga and Seville and San Sebastián all took to the streets on several occasions.

At the beginning of the year, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Spain was on track to welcome 100 million tourists this year, beating all previous records and coming level with France – currently the world’s most visited country.

Recently, however, some hotel associations have warned of a slowdown in arrivals and a downturn in spending by foreign visitors in popular areas.

Could the anti-tourism protests actually be working and are tourists listening and staying away?

The truth is that Spain is still expected to break a new record for tourist arrivals and spending this year. But, according to various industry estimates from companies like Andersen Consulting, reaching the milestone of one hundred million foreign visitors seems increasingly unlikely.

The travel industry goal was to reach 55.5 million arrivals in the second half of the year, but growth in June was just 1.9 percent compared to the same month last year. Therefore, tourist arrivals are not growing as expected.

The Bank of Spain also warned in its June report that there would be a "gradual slowdown in international tourist arrivals" in the coming quarters.

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When it comes to American travellers, there was a 4.2 percent year-on-year drop. According to a recent tourism sector report by CaixaBank Research, titled Uncertainty and American Tourism. It estimated that the downturn could hit Spain's tourism GDP growth by as much as one percentage point this year.

“Passenger arrivals from the US slowed abruptly, going from 17.5 percent year-on-year growth in the first 10 months of 2024 to just 2.3 percent between November 2024 and May 2025,” the report stated

In the case of American tourists, it’s unlikely that the downturn is due to anti-tourism protests, however. The report points to several possible explanations, including a weaker dollar and global economic instability caused by President Donald Trump's trade policy.

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Business leaders and employers' associations also expressed concern over a sustained decline German tourists, which having a domino effect on other sectors such as hospitality and nightlife, which depend heavily on foreign visitors.

Despite the fact that Spain is still expected see a record-breaking year for tourism overall, the slowdown has had already had an effect in particular areas.

In Mallorca, for example, the Confederation of Business Associations of the Balearic Islands (CAEB), pointed out that anti-tourism messages "are scaring people away”.

“If we don't correct our course, the economic consequences will be serious," they warned.

According to figures confirmed by the Association of Transport Companies of the Balearic Islands, tourist bus bookings for the months of July and August have fallen by 20 percent compared to last year.

Both the Balearic Islands and Valencia have already seen average spending per tourist fall. In June, spending fell by 0.13 percent and 1.6 percent, respectively, to €1,251 and €1,229. This is despite a national growth of 3.5 percent to €1,376, according to the Tourist Expenditure Survey compiled by the National Statistics Institute (INE).

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On the Costa del Sol, the Hospitality Business Association predicts a decline in occupancy in August compared to last year - 88.32 percent compared to 92.89 percent in August 2024. It also anticipates a decline in the average gross impact per guest.

On the other hand, there has been a sharp increase in foreign tourist spending in other areas such as Madrid. In June, tourist spending in the capital rose by 16.88 percent year-on-year. In the other less touristy regions, the increase was 6.60 percent.

Total international tourist spending increased by 7.5 percent in the first six months of 2025 to €59.622 billion, but tourism businesses are already expecting a slowdown in sales growth for the summer of 2025, down to +2.7 percent compared to 2024.

It's not clear though that the downturn in these traditionally popular areas is due to anti-tourism sentiments and protests alone. Increased prices and the economic climate also have a role to play.

In the case of hotels, the average daily rate for a room is now €129.50, according to the latest data from the INE for June. This is 39 percent more expensive than in the same month in 2019.

According to CaixaBank-Research there has also been a shift in Spanish tourists travelling to destinations abroad rather than holidaying at home, a trend major travel agencies have been noticing for several months. For example, some local media outlets have claimed that travelling to the Caribbean can be cheaper than to the Spanish coast.