Madrid - The number of foreign tourists visiting Spain declined by 9.3 per cent to 46.7 million visitors in the first 10 months of this year, according to official figures released Monday. Tourism had been expected to shrink by about 10 per cent this year, mainly due to Europe's economic crisis.
The decline was easing gradually, tourism secretary of state Joan Mesquida said, pointing out that it had gone down 9.8 per cent in the first nine months from the corresponding period in 2008.
Spain is the world's third tourist destination after France and the United States, receiving 57.4 million tourists in 2008. Most come from Britain and Germany.
