MADRID- The number of international visitors to Spain broke yet another record in 2018, the sixth in a row, despite a slower than usual summer, Industry Minister Reyes Maroto said on Wednesday.
Preliminary official data showed the number of visitors to Spain rose 0.9 percent in 2018 from a year earlier to 82.6 million tourists.
Spain is the world's second most visited country after France and tourism is a pivotal sector for the domestic economy, contributing with nearly 12 pct of the gross domestic product.
(Reporting by Sabela Ojea, Writting by Jose Elias Rodriguez, Editing by Paul Day) ((jose.rodriguez@thomsonreuters.com; +34 91 585 8539; Reuters Messaging: jose.rodriguez.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))
