عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
Varieties

Spain Set for Record Tourist Numbers in 2024 after First-Half Jump

FILE PHOTO: Tourists and residents drink on a street in Gracia neighborhood during a heatwave of the summer, in Barcelona, Spain August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Bruna Casas//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tourists and residents drink on a street in Gracia neighborhood during a heatwave of the summer, in Barcelona, Spain August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Bruna Casas//File Photo
TT
TT

Spain Set for Record Tourist Numbers in 2024 after First-Half Jump

FILE PHOTO: Tourists and residents drink on a street in Gracia neighborhood during a heatwave of the summer, in Barcelona, Spain August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Bruna Casas//File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tourists and residents drink on a street in Gracia neighborhood during a heatwave of the summer, in Barcelona, Spain August 19, 2023. REUTERS/Bruna Casas//File Photo

The number of foreign tourists in Spain jumped 13% in the first-half of 2024, putting the country on track for another record year for visitor numbers despite growing discontent over the impact of the holiday industry in some tourist hotspots.
For the six months to the end of June, 42.5 million international visitors arrived in Spain, with the month of June alone recording a 12% rise to 9 million as the busier summer period picks up, Spain's data agency INE reported on Friday.
That means 2024 is shaping up to be another record year for Spain, already the world's second most visited country behind France, making it likely it will beat last year's high of 85 million tourists, when numbers exceeded pre-pandemic levels, said Reuters.
But for some Spaniards in the most popular destinations including Mallorca, Barcelona and the Canary Islands, there is increasing unease about the influx of tourists and their impact on housing costs and locals have staged protests.
Earlier in July, a small group of anti-tourism campaigners in Barcelona squirted water pistols at foreign visitors, chanting "tourists go home", a demonstration that created headlines around the world.
Data showed that tourists spent 12.3 billion euros in Spain in June, 17% more than the same month last year, helping drive economic growth, but highlighting the challenge for a government trying to find the right balance between tourism and local interests.
A lack of affordable housing in Spain has been partly blamed on a boom in holiday lets on platforms such as Airbnb and Booking.com.
According to the data released on Friday, tourists are increasingly opting to stay in rented apartments. The number of visitors in the first-half of the year staying in that type of accommodation was up 30%, while those staying in hotels was up 11%.

Most Viewed

 
 
Varieties

No 'Tangible' Terror Threat Detected since Start of the Paris Olympics

France has been deploying around 30,000 police officers each day to keep the Olympics safe ( The AP)
France has been deploying around 30,000 police officers each day to keep the Olympics safe ( The AP)
TT
TT

No 'Tangible' Terror Threat Detected since Start of the Paris Olympics

France has been deploying around 30,000 police officers each day to keep the Olympics safe ( The AP)
France has been deploying around 30,000 police officers each day to keep the Olympics safe ( The AP)

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on Friday that authorities have not detected any “tangible" terror threats during the first week of the Olympic Games, during which about 200 people have been arrested by security forces for various crimes.

Darmanin released the first official statistics regarding the Paris Olympics’ security during a visit to a police station in Saint-Denis, a northern suburb of Paris home to two major venues: the Stade de France and the Olympic Aquatics Center, The AP reported.

He said there were about 200 people arrested since July 26, including 180 taken into police custody.

They include some “individuals” who “could have” committed attacks, including on the day of the opening ceremony, Darmanin said.

Yet, he added, “there wasn’t and as of now we aren’t aware of any tangible threat from (terror) organizations. ... There is no organized attack being planned that we are aware of.”

Darmanin also stressed said there were 24% less theft associated with violence as well as 10% less car theft in Paris and in the neighboring suburban areas.

“Overall petty crime was largely reduced probably due to the hugely increased police and gendarme presence in the public areas,” he said.

Darmanin is staying on in a caretaker role at the interior ministry until a new government is formed in the wake of legislative elections earlier this month.

France has been deploying around 30,000 police officers each day to keep the Olympics safe, with a peak of 45,000 for the opening ceremony on the Seine River.

Security forces are also backed up by a 10,000-strong contingent of soldiers that has set up the largest military camp in Paris since World War II, from which soldiers should be able to reach any of the city’s Olympic venues within 30 minutes.