Spain received 9.1 million international visitors in April alone — a record for the month — as ongoing conflict involving the US, Israel, and Iran drives holidaymakers away from destinations such as Dubai, Turkey, and Egypt and toward the Mediterranean country. Total foreign arrivals reached 97 million in 2025, and the industry now expects to surpass 100 million in 2026, potentially pushing Spain past France to become the world's top tourist destination. The boom, however, is fuelling a domestic backlash: housing costs are rising sharply as landlords benchmark rents to foreign incomes rather than local wages, prompting protests across Barcelona, Valencia, the Balearic Islands, and the Canary Islands, and leading authorities in Barcelona to announce the revocation of all 10,000 short-term rental licences by 2028.