The Diplomat
Spain received in September five million passengers from international airports, five times more than in the same month last year (437% more), but just over half of the arrivals recorded in September 2019 (9.7 million passengers), according to data released yesterday by Turespaña.
In the accumulated of the year (January-September), the volume of passenger arrivals from international airports reaches 20.7 million passengers, 12.7% more than in 2020, a year marked by the restrictions in the face of the pandemic of COVID-19.
The Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, stressed that these figures reflect that Spain is going “in the right direction” and that the recovery of the Spanish tourism sector is “solid, consolidating month by month with the official data” that are being published.
For the Minister of Tourism, the increase in arrivals from the main countries of origin shows that “Spain is perceived as a safe, quality destination where you can enjoy a few days’ rest”, according to a press release issued by her department.
In his opinion, this has been possible thanks to the good pace achieved in the vaccination process, which has made it possible to convey “certainty” to the international traveller, as well as the use of the EU-Covid digital certificate, the efforts of the Spanish tourism sector and the success of the promotional campaign deployed by Turespaña and the offices abroad.
Of the total number of international passengers who travelled to Spain in September, the majority (59.8%) travelled on a low-cost airline, while the remaining 40.2% opted for traditional airlines.
United Kingdom, the market that fell the most
According to Turespaña data, the decline in international passengers has been recorded in the main issuing countries compared to the same month of 2019, with the Netherlands being the country with the smallest drop (-15%) and the United Kingdom the one with the largest decline, with 62.8%.
Specifically, Germany generated 18.5% of passenger arrivals to Spain in September, reaching 821,853 travellers (39.7% less than in the same month of 2019).
The second largest issuing country of international passengers to Spain was the United Kingdom, with 877,108 travellers in September, whose priority destination was the Balearic and Canary Islands.
It was followed by Italy (428,661), France (394,856), the Netherlands (379,636), Belgium (221,965), Switzerland (206,221), Portugal (144,169), Ireland (129,105), Denmark (109,825) and Poland (99,157).
Balearic Islands and Madrid, main destinations
In September, international passenger arrivals from all the main issuing countries grew, with Germany leading the way with 18.5% of the total and 934,338 people, 688% more in year-on-year rate and mainly focused on the Balearic and Canary Islands.
From the United Kingdom, the second largest issuing country with 17.3% of the total, arrivals by air increased by 387% compared to September 2020, to 877,108 people, followed by Italy, with 428,661 passengers and with priority destinations in Catalonia and Madrid.
By destination, the Balearic Islands led the way in the last month of the summer in terms of passenger arrivals by air, with 23.2% of the total (1,176,055 passengers).
The Balearic Islands are followed by Madrid (19% and 959,706 passengers), Catalonia (18% and 908,572), Andalusia (13.6% and 689,937), the Canary Islands (12.1% and 613,951) and the Community of Valencia (11.8% and 597,870).
In the first nine months of the year, the Balearic Islands accounted for 24.7 % of all international passenger arrivals, with more than five million passengers.
By airports, ‘Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas’ received the highest volume of international passengers (19% of the total), followed by Palma de Mallorca (17.1%) and ‘Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat’ (16.9%).
