MORE than 17 million Britons will have visited Spain this year, setting a new record.

Secretary of State for Tourism Isabel Borrego says the figure is an 11% increase on last year and shows the continued importance of the UK to Spain’s tourism industry.

Spain’s popularity has seen the number of staff employed in tourism increase by 4.8% year-on-year, accounting for 13.9% of all employment in Spain in 2016.