Spain's foreign tourist spending rises

The amount of money spent by foreign tourists in Spain rose 16.4 percent in November year-on-year to 3.344 billion euros (4.578 billion U.S. dollars) , according to data released on Thursday by the Spanish Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism. Foreign tourist spending during the January to November period rose by 8.7 percent to 55.896 billion euros, compared with the same period in 2012, with the average spending per tourist standing at 972 euros, up 3.4 percent from last year. The amount of money spent by British tourists, the highest among the incoming tourists, was 11.517 billion euros in the first 11 months of 2013, registering a 7.4 percent rise year-on-year. They were followed by German and French visitors, who spent a total of 9.152 billion euros and 5.6 billion euros, respectively. Visitors from the Nordic countries spent a total of 5.249 billion euros during the January to November period, up 18.1 percent from last year, while visitors from the United States spent 2.326 billion euros, down 3.7 percent year-on-year. Catalonia, in the Mediterranean coast of Spain, was chosen as the main destination. Foreign visitors spent 13.401 billion euros there, accounting for 24 percent of the total.