The Canary Islands has emerged as the second-highest region in Spain for international tourist expenditure in 2024, with visitors spending a total of €22.9 billion. According to data released by Spain’s National Institute of Statistics (INE), only Catalonia was higher, registering a total of €23.7 billion.
The increase in tourist expenditure in the Canary Islands was 12.6%, marking a record-breaking year for the region. This figure significantly exceeded the pre-pandemic levels of 2019 when international visitors spent €16.8 billion and even surpassed the 2018 total of €17.1 billion.
With these figures, the Canary Islands accounted for 18.1% of total international tourist spending in Spain, placing it ahead of the Balearic Islands, which captured 15.9%, and closely behind Catalonia at 18.8%.
December also saw strong figures, with each tourist spending an average of €189 per day, reflecting an 11.6% increase compared to the same month in the previous year. The average length of stay in the Canary Islands was 8.21 days, with a total expenditure per person reaching €1,548 which is an annual rise of 1.49%.
Additionally, the INE reported that 15,226,886 international tourists visited the Canary Islands in 2024, representing an annual increase of 9.15%. In December alone, 1,448,229 international visitors came, marking a 5.39% rise compared to the previous year. Their spending for the month reached €2.24 billion, reflecting a 7% year-on-year increase.
These figures mark the highest-ever number of international arrivals and the highest December expenditure recorded in the region’s history.
Among all Spanish regions, the Canary Islands attracted the largest proportion of international tourists, accounting for 27.5% of the total. Catalonia followed with 20.38%, while Andalusia ranked third with 12.92%. Across Spain, a record-breaking 93.8 million international tourists visited in 2024, a 10.1% increase compared to the previous year, setting a new historic high for the country’s tourism sector.
