With two months left to count, Spain had already clocked nearly 61 million tourists between January and October, a rise of 4.4% over last year. October alone accounted for 6.5 million, a 10% increase.
Spain has benefited this year from visitors who might otherwise have gone to Egypt, Turkey or Tunisia, areas where world events have made many travelers wary, especially in the wake of attacks directly on tourists, such as happened in Tunisia in June.
Add to those factors the relative weakness of the Euro, which made Spain more attractive to American and British visitors. Britain leads all countries in sending tourists to Spain at 25%, followed by Germany and France at 16% and 15%.
Flights from the UK to Spain for under $50 helps too.
Many families in the UK have bought a Spanish apartment that gets shared with their relatives.