Spain received a total of 12 million international tourists in the first quarter of the year, according to data published on Friday by Spain's Statistical Office (INE).

The figure is a 13.9-percent increase when compared with the same period of a year earlier. In March alone, the number of international visitors rose by 16.1 percent to 4.8 million.

In the first quarter, arrivals from Britain reached 2.6 million, rising by 20.1 percent year-on-year. This was followed by German tourists with 1.7 million arrivals, an 8.7-percent rise, and the French with 1.58 million arrivals, a 6.4-percent rise, respectively.

The most visited regions in the first three months of the year were the archipelago of the Canary Islands, with around 3.5 million international visitors, followed by the northeastern region of Catalonia with 2.8 million, and the southern region of Andalusia with 1.7 million international visitors.

Spain, one of the most visited countries in the world, welcomed a total of 68.1 million international tourists in 2015, breaking a record high.