Alicante tourism breaks the €1 billion mark in April for the first time
Record foreign visitor spending shows the Costa Blanca is proving far less seasonal than before
Here's some great news for the Costa Blanca: foreign tourism brought in more than €1 billion to Alicante province in April for the first time ever. The latest figures from the INE (National Statistics Institute) show that April 2026 produced record levels both for visitor arrivals and for the money they left behind.That's €1.024 billion from foreign tourism last month, up 16% on the same period in 2025. It's a major milestone for a month outside the peak summer season and suggests the area could be heading for an exceptional year.
The Tourist Expenditure Survey shows foreign visitors spent €1.463 billion in the Valencian Community in April, with the Costa Blanca accounting for about 70% of that total. The figures are provisional, but they're backed up by the border movements survey, which recorded 1.2 million tourists in the Valencian Community last month. Of those, 904,870 passed through Alicante province.
The rise came after Easter and pushed the year-to-date figure even higher. So far in 2026, Alicante has already welcomed more than 2.4 million visitors.
Hosbec (Hotel and Tourism Business Association of the Valencian Community) president Fede Fuster says the figures reflect work done by the hotel sector over recent years. "Behind the statistics lies the prior work that has been done, at least in the hotels, to reposition the assets that needed it and convert those three-star establishments into four-star hotels," he said.
He also points out that most foreign tourists still arrive by air, with nearly 90% using airports as their entry point. Miguel Hernández Airport stands out in particular, handling close to two million passengers per month and securing a forecast of 16 million beds for the high season, from April to November.
Spending levels remain especially important because domestic tourism is stagnating and tends to behave differently. The key trend, however, is still deseasonalisation. In fact, the April figure now beats the previous record for the province, which was set in August last year at €1.568 billion.
Think about it – that spending translates into an average daily income of €34 million for the Alicante economy. The average stay in the province remains one of the highest in Spain at 9.1 days, up 12%, with second homes still playing a major role in the Costa Blanca's appeal.
So if you've noticed more visitors this year, it's no coincidence. Alicante is proving to be an increasingly popular choice for travellers from across Europe and beyond, and the numbers speak for themselves.
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