Protesters in Spain told tourists to 'go home.' Instead more arrived.

On July 6, thousands of anti-tourism protesters marched through the streets of Barcelona, shouting: "Tourists go home!"

A little more than a month later, Spain's tourism board sent a mass email with a different message: "Spain: the summer you'll want to repeat every year … We can't wait to see you!"

Tourists caught in the crossfire of Barcelona's July protest — some of whom endured water guns and confrontations caught on tape — may not be inclined to return. But data shows others weren't frightened away.

International arrivals to Spain continued to rise this summer, with some 10.9 million arriving in August — a 7% year-on-year increase, according to Spain's National Statistics Institute.  

And the top three most popular destinations were the very spots where protesters staged marches this year.  

Some 2.4 million international travelers visited the Balearic Islands — home to Mallorca — in August, a 4% jump from the same period in 2023, data showed. Another 2.3 million foreigners went to Catalonia — where Barcelona is located — a 6% increase from 2023. Some 1.6 million went to Andalusia, up 9% year-on-year.

A survey published by Mallorca's tourism board showed 89% of American travelers said they were either unaware or unconcerned about the protests that occurred on Mallorca this year, according to the travel news website Skift.  

Of those who knew about the demonstrations, nearly 70% said they had "no impact" on their travel intentions, Skift reported.

Most visitors to Spain are fellow Europeans. However, Booking.com — Europe's largest online travel agency by market share — told CNBC Travel it didn't see any meaningful shifts in post-protest bookings to Mallorca or Barcelona.

But RateGain, a software company that processes