Spain’s tourist numbers up a record 12 percent in first half

MADRID (AP) — Spain keeps on breaking tourism records, with the number of tourists visiting the European Union nation up 12 percent in the first six months of the year.
Spain has broken its own tourist number records each year for the past four years as economic and security concerns elsewhere lure visitors away from rival Mediterranean destinations.
The National Statistics Institute said Monday that 36.3 million tourists arrived January through June. Most — 8.6 million — came