Number of tourists who visited Spain 1959-1973

The number of tourists who visited Spain in 1959, in the early years of the tourism boom, was approximately 4.2 million people. Over the following 14 years, Spain's economy would catch up with growth rates experienced across Western Europe, during the most prosperous period in the continent's history. The climate and affordability of Spain, along with the accessibility of air travel and increased levels of disposable income in other countries, combined to make Spain the most popular holiday destination on the continent. By 1973, just before the first major recession of the late-20^th century, approximately 34.6 million tourists visited Spain; this is roughly equal to Spain's total population at the time.