Spain's Record-Breaking Tourism

Spain's tourism industry continues to set a torrent pace.

According to the Associated Press, the number of travelers who visited the European destination climbed a whopping 12 percent over the first six months of 2017.

The National Statistics Institute announced that 36.3 million tourists arrived in Spain from the start of January through the end of June.

A majority of those visitors (8.6 million) came from the U.K., while 5.5 million were from Germany. The two figures represent a 9.1 percent and 10 percent jump over the same period last year, respectively.

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Interestingly, Spain's booming tourism numbers come despite a scandal involving a slew of British tourists filing false food poisoning claims against all-inclusive Spanish resorts. The troubling trend has cost hoteliers millions of dollars in compensation payouts and prompted the Mallorca Hotel Business Federation to go so far as to warn tour operators of a potential ban on visitors from the U.K.

Spain's incredible success has also come on the heels of a new law in Barcelona aimed at limiting the number of tourists coming into the city.

READ MORE: Barcelona Keeps Making Tourism Tougher

Meanwhile, Spain's tourism sector has undoubtedly benefited from its reputation as a safe destination in wake of recent attacks and economic struggles in nearby European hot spots.

Spain hosted 75.3 million tourists last year. A strong finish to the second half of the year could see the country blow past that mark in 2017. 

The upward trend is good news for Spain's economy as well. Tourism accounts for about 11 percent of the country's GDP, according to the AP.

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