The notable growth in arrivals to some northern autonomous communities such as the Basque Country and Asturias and the lower year-on-year increase recorded in the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands stand out, records that show a trend towards greater diversification of destinations.
The month of July has maintained the positive trend of the first half of the year and the number of international air passengers arriving in Spain exceeded 11 million (8.6% more than the same month last year), according to data published by Turespaña.
TDB keeps you informed. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram
Spain welcomed more than 11 million international air travellers in July
Of these 11.2 million, 56.6% came from within the European Union, an increase of 9.7%, while the flow from the rest of the world, which accounted for the remaining 43.4%, rose by 7.2%. In the first 7 months of the year, Spain received 60.1 million international passengers, 12.4% more than in the same period of 2023.
As has been the case in the months so far in 2024, in July the upward trend continued in all markets, and passengers to Spain from the main issuing countries increased compared to the figures for the same month in 2023. Special mention should be made of the growth in Poland, with 38.2%, the United States, with a 15.9% increase, and the ‘other countries’, with a rise of 11.3%.
The United Kingdom, with 2.6 million international passengers, generated 23.2% of the total flow of arrivals to Spain in July, registering a year-on-year increase of 4.6%. The Balearic and Canary Islands together received 48% of the total number of passengers of British origin.
80.8% of British passengers travelled on a low-cost airline, with the United Kingdom being the leader in arrivals on these airlines, accounting for 30.3% of the total. In July, the year-on-year increases in British arrivals in the Valencian Community and Catalonia stood out, with more than 25,000 additional arrivals, and the year-on-year increase in the Basque Country of 22.3% for this month.
Meanwhile, passenger arrivals from Germany stood at 1.6 million in July (14% of the total), up 7.4% compared to July 2023. German travellers mainly went to the Balearic Islands (48%). As a noteworthy fact and as is a usual trend in this market, 46.2% of German passengers travelled on traditional airlines, being the market that leads the arrivals on these airlines (16.7% of the total).
Italy accounted for 9.8% of the passenger flow received in July (just over one million travellers), registering a year-on-year growth of 13.8%, which particularly benefited Catalonia and the Community of Madrid. The other main Autonomous Communities received more Italian passengers than a year ago, except Cantabria. Among Italian travellers, the choice of low-cost airlines prevailed (81.2%) over traditional airlines.
France, for its part, issued 7.7% of the total number of passengers in July (867,678 travellers), showing an expansion of 7.6% which particularly favoured Catalonia and the Balearic Islands, which accounted for more than 45% of arrivals from the neighbouring country. 73.9% of French passengers used a CBC on their flights, experiencing a year-on-year growth of 8.5%.
Finally, 4.6% of the total number of passengers arrived from the Netherlands. This market experienced a growth of 4.8% in July and its main destinations were Catalonia, Valencia and the Balearic Islands, which together accounted for almost 58% of arrivals. The growth of tourists from the Netherlands to Asturias stands out, 30% more than a year ago. The vast majority of travellers from the Netherlands (73.9%) also opted for low-cost airlines for their flights, representing an expansion of 8.5%.