Madrid - The number of foreign tourists visiting Spain declined by 2.6 per cent to 57.4 million visitors in 2008, the government said Wednesday.

Spain is the world's second-biggest tourist destination after France, according to the World Tourism Organization.

Tourism secretary of state Joan Mesquida downplayed the drop, saying the number of tourists remained on the same level as in 2006, while 2007 was a record year.

The number of British tourists to Spain declined by 3 per cent to 15.7 million and French tourists by 8.5 per cent to 8.1 million.

The regions to lose the most tourists were Catalonia in the north-east and Andalusia in the south, where tourism fell by 6.7 and 4 per cent respectively.

The number of tourists visiting Madrid and the Balearic Islands, on the other hand, increased by 3.6 and 1.4 per cent respectively.

The economic crisis and the emergence of cheaper Mediterranean destinations is believed to have undermined Spain's tourism industry. (dpa)