What Spain’s Latest Tourism Numbers Say About the Mass Protests

More tourists than last year are visiting Spain and staying in short-term rentals, according to the Spanish government’s latest data.

In the first six months of 2024, the number of tourists visiting Spain increased by 13.3% and exceeded 42.5 million, according to recent data released by Spain’s government data agency INE. Tourists spent 55.8 million euros during this period.

Here are three takeaways from the government’s latest data:

Number of guests in tourist apartments, i.e. short-term rentals, in the Balearic Islands surged. Over 236,000 guests stayed in a tourist apartment in June 2024, up around 40% from last year.

In June and July, thousands of protesters demonstrated in Mallorca, the region’s capital, demanding tight restrictions on short-term rentals. Locals blamed the conversion of residential apartments to short-term rentals for the rise of living costs and gentrification.

UK and Germany are Spain’s biggest source markets. All of Spain’s source markets are up from last year, but Germany and the the UK grew the most by volume. Visitors from those countries were over 5.5 million and 7.7 million, respectively.

In Barcelona, one of the leading groups organizing protests demanded limits on international travel to the city. Among the proposals of the Assembly of Neighborhoods for Tourism Degrowth was a limit on international flights to Barcelona.

The Canary Islands experienced an increase in tourist apartment guests. Over 266,500 guests stayed at a tourist apartment in the Canary Islands in June 2024, up from 259,000 last year.

In April, thousands of protestors demonstrated on the streets of Tenerife. Protestors have blamed tourism for pricing out communities and want to see a stop in short-term rental and hotel expansion.

Local authorities in the Canary Islands are planning to draft tighter restrictions on short-term rentals.