The Diplomat
Spain received 5.9 million international air passengers in January, 12.7% more than in the same month of 2023, according to data published by Turespaña. Of these almost six million, 57.3% came from within the European Union, with an increase of 13.1%, while the flow from the rest of the world, which accounted for the remaining 42.7%, grew by 12 ,3%.
“That we continue to grow in tourists is good, but it is even more important to continue making progress in the challenge of diversification and quality of tourism, and today’s data confirms this good trend, a reflection of the policies promoted by the Government,” declared the Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu.
The United Kingdom, with 1.1 million international passengers, generated 17.9% of the total flow of arrivals to Spain in January, registering a year-on-year increase of 11.1%. The Canary Islands were the largest recipient of arrivals, accounting for 42.7% of the total passengers of British origin.
For its part, passenger arrivals from Germany stood at 687,829 in January (11.6% of the total), increasing by 11% compared to January 2023. German travelers went mainly to the Canary Islands (40.5% of the passengers). 10.7% of the flow of passengers received in January (632,563 travelers) arrived from Italy, with a year-on-year growth of 18.2%, which especially benefited Catalonia and the Community of Madrid. France issued 7.3% of total passengers in January, with an increase of 1.6% that especially favored Madrid and Catalonia, which received more than 100,000 arrivals respectively and together accounted for 62.5% of total arrivals.
Finally, 4.8% of all travelers arrived from the Netherlands. This market has experienced a growth of 11.7% in January and had Catalonia and the Valencian Community as its main destinations, together accounting for 42% of arrivals. Furthermore, in January the increase in the number of travelers from Poland (77%), Ireland (19.2%) and the United States (17.5%) also stood out.
