The no to war by Pedro Sánchez worries the Spanish tourism sector. "10 billion dollars are at stake," warns Fede Fuster, president of Hosbec. The head of the hotel association based in Benidorm is one of the first to openly point out the "reputational crisis" of Spain in the United States. Indeed, the fear of the hotel industry is that the display of the clash between the Spanish Prime Minister and the American Donald Trump may end up harming one of the main markets of travelers.
The United States is the first non-European market for the Spanish tourism industry in terms of volume. If 2024 was already a record year for the arrival of American tourists, 2025 confirmed once again that, for Americans, Spain is one of the most desired destinations in Europe. Last year, 4.45 million tourists from the United States visited our country, representing a 4.3% growth compared to the previous year.
But the most significant increase was in a crucial variable such as spending: American tourists who visited Spain spent around 10.2 billion euros in 2025, 13% more than the previous year, according to data from the Spanish Tourism Institute (Turespaña). Hence the concern that an escalation of tension between the United States and Spain over the war in Iran may have consequences on the 2026 tourist season. The American market is the fourth largest for Spain in terms of spending volume.
"Loser," "hostile"... The list of Trump's epithets towards Spain as an allied partner is long. Added to this is the recent rejection by Sánchez's government to authorize Washington to use the Rota and Morón bases for its military offensive against Iran, which has even led Republican Senator Lindsey Graham to suggest withdrawing the military bases from Spain.
"In outlets like Fox News or among the MAGA [Make America Great Again] movement, Spain's image is being tarnished," warns Fuster in statements to this newspaper. For the hotel entrepreneur, there is no doubt that "foreign policy is decided by the government." However, he insists, "it must be softened with diplomatic efforts," because "the American tourist is key for our country."
In this regard, Fuster hopes that flight reservations from the United States will not be affected in the short term. But a drop in tourism from the United States in the coming months should not be ruled out because trips are planned well in advance. This would break the upward trend of recent years.