An estimated 1.2 million Irish tourists visited Spain from January to August 2015, up 5.2% year-on-year, according to the Spanish Tourism Office.

The most popular Spanish destination for Irish visitors is the Canary Islands, with 24% choosing to visit the islands. Andalusia comes second with 24% of visitors, then Cataluna (14%) and the Balearic Islands (12%).

According to CSO figures:
• Spain accounted for nearly 1 in 4 of all the nights spent abroad by Irish tourists in 2014, which is more than the combined nights spent in France, Italy, Portugal, Germany and Northern Ireland (13.25 million nights, 25% of total).
• More Irish tourists holidayed in Spain than the combined total to France, Italy and Portugal making Spain only second to the UK in terms of the number of trips taken by Irish residents.
• Travel to Spain has the highest share in Irish travel expenditure, 21% of which was spent on travel to Spain (in excess of €1.2 billion euro). This is more than the expenditure of Irish travel to France, Germany, Italy and Portugal combined; or to North America and Asia and Middle East together.

Gonzalo Ceballos, Director of the Spanish Tourism Office in Ireland, said: “I want to thank the Irish public for making Spain the leading destination for holidaymakers. The welcoming nature of the people, the rich culture and relaxed atmosphere, attracts and unites Irish and Spanish people making it a success story year after year.”

More Irish tourists visited Spain than France, Italy and Portugal combined. Spain is the second most visited country for Irish tourists after the UK.

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Spain has experienced a successful year for tourism, with 38 million tourists visiting in the first seven months of the year, up 4.7% from last year.