BENIDORM — Spain recorded 97 million foreign tourist arrivals in 2025. This figure positions Spain as the second-largest global tourist destination, trailing only France.
Tourist bookings for Spain have increased relative to Dubai, Turkey, and Cyprus following regional conflict. Spain received 9.1 million international visitors in April. April visitor figures represent a 5.2 percent increase, equivalent to 450,000 additional visitors, compared to April 2025. During March, Dubai International Airport reported a 66 percent decrease in passenger traffic.
"Any time that you have a crisis in the eastern Mediterranean or the Middle East, Spain is seen as a secure place to go," said Francisco Femenia-Serra, a lecturer in geography at Complutense University in Madrid. "Part of the tourists that would normally go to Turkey or Egypt because of the low prices, for instance, might end up in Spain," he said. The tourism sector contributes 13 percent directly to Spain's gross domestic product.
However, the increase in tourism has also intensified a national debate over over-tourism and housing displacement. "Tourism was always accepted as a positive economic sector for Spain," Femenia-Serra said. "That changed from 2016, 2017, with the label of over-tourism being put on some cities, like Barcelona." Since 2024, demonstrations against high visitor volumes have occurred in Barcelona, Mediterranean coastal areas, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands. "Most young Spaniards under 45 have a different image of tourism," Femenia-Serra said. "They see it as a sector that obviously has a positive impact but also some negative outcomes in their lives." Local residents cite urban congestion, environmental effects, and housing market strain as primary concerns.
A September 2024 Europe-wide YouGov survey indicated that 28 percent of Spanish residents hold a negative view of foreign tourism. The poll also found that two-thirds of Spanish residents express sympathy for anti-tourism demonstrations. "When it comes to renewing rental contracts, the owners of properties no longer think about setting rents according to local salaries, but rather the salaries of people visiting from abroad, which might be three or four times higher," said Jordi Vila, a representative of Sindicat de Llogateres. "So local people end up getting pushed out of their homes." Graffiti displaying the phrase "Your business, our ruin." has appeared on short-term rental properties in the Asturias region.
"There are too many Airbnbs and not enough homes," Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said in 2025. In December, the national government levied a €65 million penalty against a holiday rental platform for advertising unlicensed properties. Municipal authorities have introduced policies to limit short-term rental expansion and regulate tourist influxes.