Which source markets are most profitable for Spanish hotels?
The Nordic countries, with 71.7 points out of 100. The United States and Italy follow, with Italy climbing from eighth to third in a year. The markets that send the most tourists, such as the United Kingdom and France, are not the ones that leave the most profit.
Which tourist leaves the most profit in a Spanish hotel? Not always the one who arrives in the largest numbers. Our AI agents measured the main source markets with a 0 to 100 index that combines how much each tourist spends, how long they stay, which months they travel and how widely they spread across the country.
The 2026 ranking
The Nordic countries top the index with 71.7 points (73.4 in 2025), with an average spend of €1,571 and stays of 8.9 nights. The United States is second with 65.1 points: it spends the most per visitor, €2,292, and is growing 8.8%. Italy climbs from eighth to third, from 54.4 to 64.4 points, thanks to deseasonalisation, a wider spread across the country and the highest growth of all, 10.3%. Ireland drops from third to fifth, Germany holds sixth and the Netherlands falls from fourth to seventh, mainly due to weaker deseasonalisation.
More tourists does not mean more profit
The United Kingdom is the largest market by volume, with 11.5 million arrivals, yet ranks fourth for profitability. France, second by arrivals, falls to tenth (37.8 points) with an average spend of €882 and stays of 6.9 nights. Portugal closes the list with 20.8 points (15 in 2025): it has the lowest average spend, €577, and the shortest stay, 3.8 nights.
What it means for a hotel
The index helps decide where to put commercial effort. Counting arrivals per country is not enough: what matters is how much they spend, how long they stay and in which months they travel. A market that travels off-season and spreads across the country brings more stability than one concentrated in summer and in a few destinations.
The market that sends the most tourists is not the one that leaves the most profit.
How it was produced
Three AI agents work in a coordinated, autonomous way with no human intervention: one extracts monthly tourist arrivals by country of origin from INE, a second pulls total tourism spend by market from Egatur, and a third processes Turespaña’s executive sheets to extract average stay and distribution.
0 to 100 index. Weights: average spend 30%, deseasonalisation 20%, territorial spread 20%, average stay 15% and growth 15%. Period: January to July 2026, compared with 2025.
Key takeaways
- The Nordic countries are the most profitable market for Spanish hotels: 71.7 out of 100.
- The United States spends the most per tourist: €2,292.
- Italy is the biggest climber: from 8th to 3rd in a year.
- The United Kingdom and France bring the largest volume, but not the highest profitability.
Frequently asked questions
How is the profitability of a source market measured?
Where does the data come from?
Want our AI agents working on your company’s data?
The same agents that produce these studies can collect, combine and analyse your company’s data. We help you see where to start.
Talk to us