The story in brief
Spain · Story date: 4 November 2026 · Lesson published: 4 November 2026
International visitors spent €114.38 billion in Spain between January and September 2026, according to figures released by Spain’s National Statistics Institute on 4 November. This was 8% more than in the same period of 2025. The Olive Press reported it as a record for the first nine months of the year. In September alone, international tourists spent about €14.49 billion. Average spending was €1,429 per visitor, and visitors from the United Kingdom accounted for the largest share of total spending that month. The statistics are provisional, so they may be revised. They describe money spent, rather than the profits businesses keep. Higher spending can also reflect higher prices. The story opens a wider discussion about tourism: it can bring customers to businesses and support employment, while popular destinations must also consider residents’ needs. How should a country decide whether its tourism industry is successful?
Read the reporting
- The Olive Press: Brits lead Spain’s record tourism boom as visitors spend €114 billion in nine months (4 November 2026)
- Instituto Nacional de Estadística (INE): Total Expenditure Survey. September 2026. Provisional data. (4 November 2026)
An original classroom summary based on the linked reporting. Facts checked 4 November 2026. This story may develop.
Choose three to five questions for a short conversation. Follow-ups and sentence starters are tucked under each prompt.
Choose at least one question to present, download or print.
Arrange your selected questions ↑ ↓
Move questions into the order you want to present or download.
Start with the story
Read the briefing together and share your first thoughts.
What does the report tell us about tourist spending in Spain?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWhich period does the €114.38 billion figure cover, and why does that matter?
TRY STARTING WITH“The figure covers… It increased by… compared with…”
Is record tourist spending always good news for a destination?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWhat would you want to know about prices, costs and local wages?
TRY STARTING WITH“It could be positive because… However, we would need to know…”
Discuss the bigger questions
Give a reason, listen and ask a little more.
Which local people and businesses are most likely to benefit from tourism?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREHow could more of the money reach small local businesses?
TRY STARTING WITH“Businesses such as… may benefit. One way to help would be…”
How important do you think British tourism is to Spain?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWhy is Spain popular with British visitors, and what might happen if fewer of them visited?
TRY STARTING WITH“British tourism is important because… If fewer British tourists visited, …”
How can a popular destination welcome tourists without making life harder for residents?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWhich issue should come first: housing, transport, noise or crowded public spaces?
TRY STARTING WITH“A priority should be… The local council could…”
Would you support a tourist tax to help pay for local services?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWhat should the money be used for, and should all visitors pay the same amount?
TRY STARTING WITH“I would support it if… The money should go towards…”
Consider another perspective
Compare priorities and decide what matters most.
- Stretch
How could destinations encourage people to visit outside the peak season?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWould lower prices be enough to persuade you to travel at a quieter time?
TRY STARTING WITH“They could offer… I might visit then if…”
- Stretch
What makes tourism successful: more visitors, more spending or happier residents?
Follow-up & speaking support
ASK A LITTLE MOREWhich two measures would you use to judge a destination’s progress?
TRY STARTING WITH“I would measure… as well as… because…”
Something to say.
8 useful words & phrases
- record — the highest or best figure reported so far
- spending — the amount of money people pay for goods and services
- provisional — not final and possibly subject to change
- profit — the money a business keeps after paying its costs
- resident — someone who lives in a particular place
- local economy — the businesses, jobs and money in an area
- peak season — the busiest time of year for visitors
- balance — find a reasonable way to meet different needs
Choose. Talk. Share.
A seaside town wants to benefit from tourism while keeping residents happy. In pairs, take the roles of a local resident and a small hotel owner. Each explains one benefit and one concern. Agree on three practical changes and explain aloud who each change would help. In a one-to-one lesson, the teacher takes the other role. Finish with a short spoken proposal and respond to one question.
Speaking aim
Intermediate B1–B2: explain comparisons, distinguish spending from profit, and discuss tourism using reasons, examples and conditional suggestions.
Preparation
Read the dated briefing and pre-teach the useful vocabulary. Ask students to separate reported facts from their opinions. Check the sources for developments before class.
Run the conversation
- Read and summarise the story in pairs (3 minutes).
- Choose three to five questions. Give a reason and ask a follow-up (10–15 minutes).
- A seaside town wants to benefit from tourism while keeping residents happy. In pairs, take the roles of a local resident and a small hotel owner. Each explains one benefit and one concern. Agree on three practical changes and explain aloud who each change would help. In a one-to-one lesson, the teacher takes the other role. Finish with a short spoken proposal and respond to one question.
Adapt the activity
Begin by asking what makes a place enjoyable to visit and pleasant to live in. Read the briefing aloud; learners listen for the reporting period, the spending increase and the country mentioned. Check those details orally before discussion. Clarify billion, compared with and provisional. Use the individual follow-ups and sentence starters where needed; stronger learners should challenge a claim politely and ask for evidence. Keep spending, business profit and benefits to residents distinct. The spending data do not by themselves prove changes in housing costs, job quality or residents’ wellbeing: discuss these as questions and possible effects. The €114.38 billion figure covers January–September, not the whole year; the UK share refers to September. Avoid national stereotypes and allow hypothetical travel choices rather than requiring personal financial information. End with brief spoken feedback on comparisons and reason-giving. Allow invented examples or a pass; personal experiences are optional. Stronger learners can challenge a claim and explain what evidence would change their view.