Soaking up some Spanish sun

  • Relatives embrace each other as they race on horses through a cheering crowd during the traditional Fiesta of San Joan (Saint John) in downtown Ciutadella, on the Spanish Balearic Island of Menorca, June 24, 2013. The riders of the horses are the representatives of ancient Ciutadella society - nobility, clergy, craftsmen and farmers. (REUTERS/Enrique Calvo)
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    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Relatives embrace each other as they race on horses through a cheering crowd during the traditional Fiesta of San Joan (Saint John) in downtown Ciutadella, on the Spanish Balearic Island of Menorca, June 24, 2013. The riders of the horses are the representatives of ancient Ciutadella society - nobility, clergy, craftsmen and farmers. (REUTERS/Enrique Calvo)
    REUTERS/Enrique Calvo
  • A reveller is covered in tomato pulp during the annual "Tomatina" (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 30, 2006. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
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    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    A reveller is covered in tomato pulp during the annual "Tomatina" (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 30, 2006. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
    REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo
  • Revellers are covered in tomato pulp during the annual 'Tomatina' (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 31, 2005. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
    3/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Revellers are covered in tomato pulp during the annual 'Tomatina' (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 31, 2005. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
    REUTERS/Albert Gea
  • Women wearing typical Sevillana outfits walk during the traditional Feria de Abril (April fair) in the Andalusian capital of Seville May 5, 2011. Picture taken May 5, 2011. (REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo)
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    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Women wearing typical Sevillana outfits walk during the traditional Feria de Abril (April fair) in the Andalusian capital of Seville May 5, 2011. Picture taken May 5, 2011. (REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo)
    REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo
  • A man swims in the Mediterranean sea one day before the summer solstice at Cala Pi's beach in the Spanish island of Mallorca June 20, 2007. (REUTERS/Dani Cardona)
    5/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    A man swims in the Mediterranean sea one day before the summer solstice at Cala Pi's beach in the Spanish island of Mallorca June 20, 2007. (REUTERS/Dani Cardona)
    REUTERS/Dani Cardona
  • Kiteboarders prepare for the freestyle competition at the Fuerteventura PKRA Kiteboarding Grand Prix in Fuerteventura, in the Spanish Canary Islands, August 2, 2005. The annual competition, which takes place at Fuerteventura's Sotavento beach, will end on Wednesday. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
    6/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Kiteboarders prepare for the freestyle competition at the Fuerteventura PKRA Kiteboarding Grand Prix in Fuerteventura, in the Spanish Canary Islands, August 2, 2005. The annual competition, which takes place at Fuerteventura's Sotavento beach, will end on Wednesday. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
    REUTERS/Juan Medina
  • Tourists pose for a picture outside the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid September 4, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. Picture taken September 4, 2013. (REUTERS/Paul Hanna)
    7/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Tourists pose for a picture outside the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid September 4, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. Picture taken September 4, 2013. (REUTERS/Paul Hanna)
    REUTERS/Paul Hanna
  • Tourists take pictures in the chapter house of a cathedral in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain September 23, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
    8/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Tourists take pictures in the chapter house of a cathedral in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain September 23, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
    REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo
  • Runners get trapped with Fuente Ymbro fighting bulls and steer in a stampede at the entrance to the bull ring during the seventh running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 13, 2013. Several people were injured in a stampede at Spain's San Fermin bull run on Saturday, when bulls that had chased them down the cobbled streets of Pamplona were crushed against them at the narrow entrance to the bullring. (REUTERS/Josu Santesteban)
    9/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Runners get trapped with Fuente Ymbro fighting bulls and steer in a stampede at the entrance to the bull ring during the seventh running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 13, 2013. Several people were injured in a stampede at Spain's San Fermin bull run on Saturday, when bulls that had chased them down the cobbled streets of Pamplona were crushed against them at the narrow entrance to the bullring. (REUTERS/Josu Santesteban)
    REUTERS/Josu Santesteban
  • A man walks past under colourful umbrellas in Getafe, outskirts of Madrid, August 1, 2013. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
    10/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    A man walks past under colourful umbrellas in Getafe, outskirts of Madrid, August 1, 2013. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
    REUTERS/Juan Medina
  • A tapas menu is displayed outside a restaurant in Madrid's Plaza Mayor September 4, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)
    11/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    A tapas menu is displayed outside a restaurant in Madrid's Plaza Mayor September 4, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)
    REUTERS/Susana Vera
  • Tourists eat tapas at a terrace on Opera square in central Madrid August 28, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. Picture taken August 28, 2013. (REUTERS/Sergio Perez)
    12/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Tourists eat tapas at a terrace on Opera square in central Madrid August 28, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. Picture taken August 28, 2013. (REUTERS/Sergio Perez)
    REUTERS/Sergio Perez
  • Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar prepares for the start of the first bullfight of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 7, 2011. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)
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    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar prepares for the start of the first bullfight of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 7, 2011. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)
    REUTERS/Susana Vera
  • Spanish matador Morante de la Puebla waits to perform a pass to a bull during a bullfight in the Maestranza bullring in Seville April 26, 2012. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
    14/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Spanish matador Morante de la Puebla waits to perform a pass to a bull during a bullfight in the Maestranza bullring in Seville April 26, 2012. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
    REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo
  • The Sagrada Familia temple is surrounded by construction cranes in Barcelona November 4, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Spain on November 6 and consecrate the Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi, as a basilica on Sunday. (REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino)
    15/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    The Sagrada Familia temple is surrounded by construction cranes in Barcelona November 4, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Spain on November 6 and consecrate the Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi, as a basilica on Sunday. (REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino)
    REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino
  • Tourists sunbathe after cooling off in a pool of the Guadalevin river on a hot summer day below the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) (rear) in Ronda, near Malaga, southern Spain, July 4, 2013. The Puente Nuevo is 120 metres (390 feet) high and the gorge of the river divides the city of Ronda. (REUTERS/Jon Nazca)
    16/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Tourists sunbathe after cooling off in a pool of the Guadalevin river on a hot summer day below the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) (rear) in Ronda, near Malaga, southern Spain, July 4, 2013. The Puente Nuevo is 120 metres (390 feet) high and the gorge of the river divides the city of Ronda. (REUTERS/Jon Nazca)
    REUTERS/Jon Nazca
  • Valencia's "City of Arts and Sciences" is seen at sunset in Spain March 22, 2007. Picture taken March 22, 2007. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis)
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    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    Valencia's "City of Arts and Sciences" is seen at sunset in Spain March 22, 2007. Picture taken March 22, 2007. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis)
    REUTERS/Heino Kali
  • The Basilica Sagrada Familia is illuminated during the "Montreal Signe Ode a la Vie" light show by Canadian company Moment Factory as part of the Merce Festival in Barcelona, September 21, 2012. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
    18/18

    Soaking up some Spanish sun

    The Basilica Sagrada Familia is illuminated during the "Montreal Signe Ode a la Vie" light show by Canadian company Moment Factory as part of the Merce Festival in Barcelona, September 21, 2012. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
    REUTERS/Albert Gea
Relatives embrace each other as they race on horses through a cheering crowd during the traditional Fiesta of San Joan (Saint John) in downtown Ciutadella, on the Spanish Balearic Island of Menorca, June 24, 2013. The riders of the horses are the representatives of ancient Ciutadella society - nobility, clergy, craftsmen and farmers. (REUTERS/Enrique Calvo)
A reveller is covered in tomato pulp during the annual "Tomatina" (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 30, 2006. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
Revellers are covered in tomato pulp during the annual 'Tomatina' (tomato fight) in the Mediterranean village of Bunol, near Valencia, August 31, 2005. The origin of the tomato fight is disputed - everyone in Bunol seems to have a favourite story - but most agree it started around 1940, in the early years of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
Women wearing typical Sevillana outfits walk during the traditional Feria de Abril (April fair) in the Andalusian capital of Seville May 5, 2011. Picture taken May 5, 2011. (REUTERS/Marcelo Del Pozo)
A man swims in the Mediterranean sea one day before the summer solstice at Cala Pi's beach in the Spanish island of Mallorca June 20, 2007. (REUTERS/Dani Cardona)
Kiteboarders prepare for the freestyle competition at the Fuerteventura PKRA Kiteboarding Grand Prix in Fuerteventura, in the Spanish Canary Islands, August 2, 2005. The annual competition, which takes place at Fuerteventura's Sotavento beach, will end on Wednesday. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
Tourists pose for a picture outside the Las Ventas bullring in Madrid September 4, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. Picture taken September 4, 2013. (REUTERS/Paul Hanna)
Tourists take pictures in the chapter house of a cathedral in the Andalusian capital of Seville, southern Spain September 23, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
Runners get trapped with Fuente Ymbro fighting bulls and steer in a stampede at the entrance to the bull ring during the seventh running of the bulls of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 13, 2013. Several people were injured in a stampede at Spain's San Fermin bull run on Saturday, when bulls that had chased them down the cobbled streets of Pamplona were crushed against them at the narrow entrance to the bullring. (REUTERS/Josu Santesteban)
A man walks past under colourful umbrellas in Getafe, outskirts of Madrid, August 1, 2013. Picture taken with a fisheye lens. (REUTERS/Juan Medina)
A tapas menu is displayed outside a restaurant in Madrid's Plaza Mayor September 4, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)
Tourists eat tapas at a terrace on Opera square in central Madrid August 28, 2013. Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers in August, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. Picture taken August 28, 2013. (REUTERS/Sergio Perez)
Mexican bullfighter Arturo Saldivar prepares for the start of the first bullfight of the San Fermin festival in Pamplona July 7, 2011. (REUTERS/Susana Vera)
Spanish matador Morante de la Puebla waits to perform a pass to a bull during a bullfight in the Maestranza bullring in Seville April 26, 2012. (REUTERS/Marcelo del Pozo)
The Sagrada Familia temple is surrounded by construction cranes in Barcelona November 4, 2010. Pope Benedict XVI will arrive in Spain on November 6 and consecrate the Sagrada Familia, the famous unfinished work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudi, as a basilica on Sunday. (REUTERS/Gustau Nacarino)
Tourists sunbathe after cooling off in a pool of the Guadalevin river on a hot summer day below the Puente Nuevo (New Bridge) (rear) in Ronda, near Malaga, southern Spain, July 4, 2013. The Puente Nuevo is 120 metres (390 feet) high and the gorge of the river divides the city of Ronda. (REUTERS/Jon Nazca)
Valencia's "City of Arts and Sciences" is seen at sunset in Spain March 22, 2007. Picture taken March 22, 2007. (REUTERS/Heino Kalis)
The Basilica Sagrada Familia is illuminated during the "Montreal Signe Ode a la Vie" light show by Canadian company Moment Factory as part of the Merce Festival in Barcelona, September 21, 2012. (REUTERS/Albert Gea)
Updated
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Sunseekers spurning unrest in Egypt and Turkey flocked to Spain in record numbers last month, setting the country up for its best-ever year for visitors and giving a boost to the ailing economy. "It is very likely that 2013 will be the best year historically for tourism," Industry Minister Jose Manuel Soria told a news conference on Monday, adding that estimates for the fourth quarter were positive. Tourism contributed over 5 percent of Spain's economy or GDP in 2012 and provided around 900,000 jobs, according to Euromonitor, in a country where one in four is out of work, meaning a boost to tourist figures should be good news as other sectors flag. (Reuters)

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