Spain says 37.5 million foreign tourists visited in the first half of 2023, up 24% from 2022

BARCEL0NA, Spain (AP) — Spain says it received 37.5 million international tourists in the first half of the year. The Spanish government said Wednesday the figure is 24% higher than the same period for last year. The figure is still lower than for the same period in 2019, the year before the COVID-19 pandemic, when 38 million tourists arrived. But officials say the numbers show that international tourism has rebounded strongly since the health crisis. Tourists from Britain were top of the list, totaling some 8 million. The northeastern region of Catalonia, including Barcelona and the Costa Brava, was the most visited area.