Americans Gain Ground in Southern Europe Tourism

American travelers are reshaping tourism in Spain as their numbers and spending power grow, even though British visitors remain the country’s largest market. U.S. arrivals to Spain increased from about 1 million in 2014 to 4.2 million in 2024 and reached nearly 5 million in 2025, with new nonstop flights, popular culture and growing interest in Spanish food and cities helping drive demand. Spanish tourism businesses increasingly favor American guests, who are often viewed as enthusiastic and willing to spend more. A similar pattern is evident in Greece, where U.S. visitors spent about €1,213 per person during the first half of 2026, well above British, French, Italian and German tourists. Germans still generated the most total tourism revenue for Greece because they visited in much larger numbers, while U.S. arrivals declined 5.4% during the period.