For the five years previous to this, figures had been growing in record numbers but the lapse this year shows that tourists are being tempted away by rival destinations such as Egypt, Turkey and Tunisia.
Tourism makes up 11 per cent of Spain’s economy, with visitor numbers hitting 82 million last year – making Spain the world's second most visited country after France.
Visitor numbers fell by 4.9 percent in July, Monday's data showed, the first fall for that key summer month since 2009.
In the first seven months, numbers rose by 0.3 percent, the lowest growth rate in eight years and compared to double-digit growth in 2016 and 2017.
Turkey, Tunisia and Egypt have experienced a resurgence in tourism, marking a revival of demand for these destinations which had been shunned by holiday-makers following militant attacks and an attempted military coup in Turkey in 2016.
Spanish hotels have cut prices in an attempt to lure back visitors, hoteliers and tourist officers have told Reuters.
In Tunisia, tourism jumped by 40 percent in the first half of 2018, its government said, driven by a strong return of European tourists three years after they were targeted in terror attacks. Egyptian numbers surged by a similar percentage.
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In Turkey, tourism grew by nearly a third in the same period after slumping in 2016 following a series of bomb attacks and an attempted coup.
Spanish hotel operators have attempted to upgrade their offerings in response to the spike in visitor numbers of recent years, targeting high-spending tourists rather than those seeking cheap sun-and-sand packages.
Official data on Monday showed that, although the total spend of international tourists in July had fallen 0.9 percent from one year ago, the average spend was up 9.5 percent.
Sun Online Travel previously revealed that the number of Brits holidaying in Benidorm is in "freefall" and that the resort has had its worst August in years.
Spanish hotels have also been slashing prices to compete with the deals on offer in Turkey and North Africa.
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