Spain enjoys record tourist numbers in July

Holidaymakers headed to recession-hit Spain in record numbers in July, official data showed Wednesday, propelled in particular by a boom in the number of German tourists.

Foreign tourist numbers surged by 328,000, or 4.4 percent, from last year to an unprecedented 7.7 million in July, said a tourism survey released by the government.

Tourism is crucial to the Spanish economy, accounting for 10 percent of gross domestic product. A surge in the number of German tourists packing their bags for Spain was mostly responsible for the gains, but numbers were also up sharply from France, the United States, Portugal and the Nordic nations.

But despite British Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg taking their holidays in Spain, overall British tourist arrivals stagnated, rising just 0.5 percent.AFP