Foreign tourism spending in Spain rises by 7.2% till August

The amount of money spent by foreign tourists in Spain rose by 7.2 percent in the first eight months of the year compared with the same period of 2012 breaking a record high, according to data released on Friday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. Spending rose to 40.4 billion euros (54.713 billion US dollars) from January to August 2013, with an average spending per tourist of 958 euros, a 2.5 percent increase, while an average daily spending of 107 euros, a 2.2 percent rise. Visitors from Britain spent 8.2 billion euros during the period, representing 20.4 percent of total spending. They were followed by the Germans, French and Nordics who spent 6.2 billion euros, 4.2 billion euros and 3.8 billion euros respectively. The region of Catalonia, in the Mediterranean coast of Spain, was the most popular destination with foreign tourists spending 9.7 billion euros there, an 11.4 percent rise when compared with the same period of 2012. The ministry reported that in August alone, the amount of money spent by foreign tourists rose 12.2 percent to a total of 8.2 billion euros when compared to a year earlier. Spain's Minister of Industry, Energy and Tourism Jose Manuel Soria had predicted that the amount spent by foreign tourists until August would be above 40.4 billion euros, a figure confirmed on Friday. Spain is the second most important tourist destination in terms of receipts and receives the fourth largest number of foreign tourists globally.