Foreign tourism to Spain soars in 2021, but far below pre-pandemic level

Tourism in Spain

Tourists sit at a bar’s terrace amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Ronda, southern Spain, August 3, 2021. | PHOTO: REUTERS/Jon Nazca

MADRID — Spain registered 31.1 million foreign tourists last year, a jump from 19 million in 2020 as most pandemic restrictions were lifted, but still far below the 83.5 million who came in 2019, the national statistics institute (INE) said on Wednesday.

The number of foreign visitors in December was 2.95 million, compared to just 649,000 a year earlier.

Tourists spent 34.82 billion euros ($39.30 billion) in Spain last year, compared to 19.79 billion in 2020 and 91.91 billion in 2019. ($1 = 0.8859 euros)

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