Here’s what Spain’s record-breaking tourism season looks like
People sunbathe en masse at Levante Beach in Benidorm, Spain, on July 22, 2015. Spain has set a new record for tourists, with 29.2 million visitors in the first half of 2015 -- a 4.2% increase from the same period in 2014 -- according to figures from tourism department Frontur.
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Of all visitors to Spain in the first six months of this year, 23% -- around 6.7 million -- were from the United Kingdom. Just over 16% came from Germany, and 15.6% from France.
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Will tourists continue to flock to Spain for its coastlines this summer? According to the World Tourism Organization's most recent report on tourism, "close to 500 million tourists are estimated to travel abroad between May and August 2015 [globally], the Northern Hemisphere holiday peak season, a total that accounts for some 41% of all international tourist arrivals registered in a year."
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Tourists sit shoulder-to-shoulder to enjoy the sunset at Café del Mar in San Antonio de Portmany, Ibiza, on July 10, 2015. Spain is also expected to be a major destination for tourists seeking a value-for-money holiday after the beach massacre in Tunisia last month.
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People stroll down Ferran street in downtown Barcelona on June 28, 2015. While tourism has helped boost GDP, Barcelona's new mayor, Ada Colau, has vowed to protect and regulate neighborhoods overrun by rowdy tourists, unlicensed rentals and spikes in prices.
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Tourists queue to visit Spanish architect Antoni Gaudí's landmak, Casa Batlló, in Barcelona on June 28, 2015.