May 22--MADRID -- Tourism remains one of the strongest pillars of Spain's crisis-hit economy, with arrivals increasing by 2.5 per cent to 14 million in the first four months of this year, compared to the same period in 2012, government figures showed Wednesday.

The increase was the strongest in four years.

Spain's fastest-growing tourism markets were the Nordic countries (up 12 per cent to 1.8 million visitors) and France (up 8 per cent to 2.3 million).

Spain's economic crisis has killed tens of thousands of jobs in the tourism sector. But it still employs more than 10 per cent of the workforce and contributes about 11 per cent of Spain's gross domestic product.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Spain grew by 3 per cent to 57.9 million people in 2012, bringing tourism back to pre-crisis levels.

Spain's economy is expected to shrink by 1.5 per cent this year, while unemployment has surpassed 27 per cent.

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