Spain was host to 24.8 million foreign tourists in the first half of 2011, a 7.5 percent increase over the same period in 2010, according to figures from the Spanish Institute for Tourist Studies.

Well, that's quite apparent if you look at the latest pictures of Palma de Mallorca's Arenal beach in the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca.

Tourists Crowd Palma de Mallorcas Arenal Beach, on the Spanish Balearic Island of Mallorca, on July 25, 2011.
Tourists crowd Palma de Mallorca's Arenal beach, on the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca, on July 25, 2011. REUTERS
Spains Booming Tourism
Tourists crowd Palma de Mallorca's Arenal beach in the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca July 25, 2011. REUTERS
Spains Booming Tourism
Tourists crowd Palma de Mallorca's Arenal beach in the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca July 25, 2011. REUTERS
Tourism
Scenes like this may become the norm as international arrivals cross the 1 billion mark for the first time in 2012. REUTERS
Spains Booming Tourism
Tourists crowd Palma de Mallorca's Arenal beach in the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca July 25, 2011. REUTERS
Spains Booming Tourism
Tourists crowd Palma de Mallorca's Arenal beach in the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca July 25, 2011. REUTERS