Record numbers of foreign tourists are visiting Alicante and the wider Valencian Community, but new figures reveal that spending per person has barely increased.
International arrivals have risen by almost 9% so far this year, helping to push total foreign tourist expenditure to a record €9.87 billion through July. That represents an annual increase of 9.4%, according to the latest figures from Spain’s National Statistics Institute.
However, the headline numbers conceal a less encouraging trend. Average daily spending by each international visitor has increased by just 0.18% over the past year, remaining at around €140.
The figures suggest that tourism revenue is growing primarily because more people are visiting, rather than because individual tourists are spending more. This volume-driven model is placing increasing pressure on the infrastructure, public services and natural resources of many popular destinations.
Tourism leaders have long argued that the region must extract greater economic value from each visitor by encouraging higher spending on accommodation, restaurants, leisure activities and other services. Despite repeated commitments from businesses and local, provincial and regional authorities, limited progress has been made.
Average foreign tourist spending in the Valencian Community remains well below the Spanish average of €202 per person per day. Visitors spend an average of €230 daily in the Balearic Islands, €225 in Catalonia and €302 in Madrid.
The stagnation follows several years of stronger growth. Daily spending increased by 6.3% in 2023, 4.2% in 2024 and 6.1% in 2025. This year’s rise of just 0.18% marks a significant slowdown.
Other regions have achieved much better results. Average daily spending in Andalusia reached €190 during the first seven months of 2026, an annual increase of 6.01%. The Balearic Islands recorded growth of 5.06%, while the Canary Islands saw spending rise by 5.19%.
Catalonia’s increase was more modest at 0.89%, although its average of €225 remains considerably higher than that of the Valencian Community. Madrid was the only major destination to record a fall, with daily spending dropping by 0.22%, but visitors to the capital still spent an average of €302.
Hosbec hotel association president Fede Fuster linked the Valencian Community’s weak spending growth partly to the rapid expansion of tourist accommodation, which often attracts visitors with lower purchasing power.
Hotels, he said, have continued to increase overnight-stay revenue despite rising room rates, with higher-category establishments performing particularly well. However, those higher accommodation costs may also be prompting some visitors to cut back on restaurant meals, entertainment and other activities.
For now, the continued increase in arrivals is compensating for stagnant individual spending. A total of 1,634,084 foreign tourists visited the Valencian Community in July, 9.5% more than during the same month last year.
The year-to-date figure reached 7,717,768 visitors, an increase of 8.9% compared with the same period of 2025.
British tourists remained the region’s largest international market, with 1,901,218 arrivals, up 8.6%. They were followed by visitors from France at 1,116,971, an increase of 3.6%; the Nordic countries at 636,916, up 0.3%; and the Netherlands at 600,371, a rise of 7.1%.
The figures come as Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández Airport continues its record-breaking year, having handled more than 10 million passengers during the first half of 2026.
