Por María Izquierdo 
La Comunidad received more than 63,300 Spanish students last year, a 24% increase from 2023, consolidating itself as the leading destination for language tourism in Spain and an international reference in language teaching.
June 26, 2025
Castilla y León |
President of the Junta de Castilla y León
The President of the Junta de Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, inaugurated today in Salamanca the VIII International Spanish Congress, an event that has become the largest European meeting of language teachers and brings together Hispanists, researchers, and professionals from over thirty countries under the motto «Spanish for all.»
During his speech, Fernández Mañueco highlighted that Castilla y León has established itself as a leading destination for language tourism in Spain. In fact, in 2024, a historic record of Spanish students arrived in the Community, with over 63,300 students, representing a growth of more than 24% compared to the previous year. He also pointed out that this language as an economic resource is experiencing its best moment in Castilla y León, with an economic impact of 160 million euros last year, solely from the spending generated by students.
These data reflect the effectiveness of the comprehensive strategy of the Junta de Castilla y León regarding Spanish as an economic, touristic, and academic resource. Among other initiatives, the regional government has promoted around 40 promotional activities in more than 90 countries in Europe, America, and Asia. Each year, it welcomes over a thousand Spanish teachers who visit the Community to learn about its educational and cultural offerings, and sign institutional agreements in key countries, such as India, where Spanish is already taught as an optional subject.
Fernández Mañueco emphasized the Junta’s commitment to preserve and promote Spanish, as Castilla y León is the birthplace of this language. Therefore, the regional government provides financial support to business projects and technological initiatives related to Spanish education, and maintains a close collaboration with universities, municipalities, and public and private institutions. This alliance has helped strengthen Castilla y León’s position as a preferred destination for language tourism.
The President of the Junta also highlighted the role of the Community in research on the origins of the language, with notable studies such as those conducted on the Cartularies of Valpuesta and San Pedro de Cardeña, endorsed by the Royal Spanish Academy. He also mentioned the publication of the Tumbo de San Pedro de Montes and the upcoming edition of the Cartulario de Froncea; and recalled the efforts being made to establish the Center for the Origins of Spanish in the town of Valpuesta, Burgos.
He also stressed the importance of continuing to address the major challenges facing Spanish in the global context, such as strengthening its use in international institutions; promoting it as a language for creation and scientific communication, as its prestige is linked to its role as a vehicle of knowledge; and increasing its presence on digital platforms and social networks, key spaces for cultural and linguistic projection in the modern world.
International dimension of Spanish
Finally, the head of the regional government highlighted the international dimension of Spanish, which for the first time exceeds 600 million speakers worldwide, of which nearly 500 are native speakers, making it the second most spoken language in the world after Mandarin. Additionally, 24 million people study it as a foreign language.