Passengers arriving in Spain from international airports increased by 3.8% year-on-year in September to nearly 11 million, while since January, the country has received 86.3 million international arrivals, up 5.6% compared to the same period in 2024. According to Turespaña on Monday, arrivals increased from the main source markets, with the exception of Germany and France, which declined slightly, while Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Argentina stood out; in Asia, China and in the Persian Gulf countries, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
The British continue to lead in arrivals
In terms of the main source markets, some 2.4 million passengers travelled to Spain from the United Kingdom, 22.2% of the total, with a year-on-year increase of 2.2%. The Balearics were the main destination, with 26.1% and an increase of 1.5%, and the Canary Islands accounted for 21%, with an increase of 1.4%.
1.5 million passengers flew from Germany, 1% less than a year ago and 13.9% of the total. The Balearics remained the main recipient autonomous community, with 45.7%, and was also the one that felt the decline the most, with 17,000 fewer passengers. In contrast, the Valencian Community and the Basque Country received more than 3,000 additional passengers.
Italy accounted for 9.4% of passenger traffic in September, exceeding one million, representing a year-on-year increase of 4.3%. Catalonia was the region that received the most Italian visitors, with 30.7% of the total and a year-on-year increase of 11.1%.
The six main autonomous communities of destination - Madrid, Catalonia, the Balearics, Andalusia, the Valencian Community and the Canary Islands - accounted for 97.1% of arrivals in September, and all of them recorded increases, led by the Valencian Community, which grew by 6.6%, while the most moderate increase was in the Balearics, with 1%.
The Community of Madrid received the most passengers that month, with 21.4% of arrivals and an increase of 3.8%. In terms of airports, Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas received the most arrivals in September, with 1.8 million (up 5.2%); followed by Barcelona-El Prat, with 707,455 passengers and an increase of 3.9%, and Palma, with 566,040 passengers, although in this case the figure fell by 3.8%.
The largest year-on-year increase, 10%, was recorded by Valencia airport, according to data from Turespaña.
In terms of visitors, the main source countries in the first eight months of the year were the United Kingdom (with nearly 13.2 million and an increase of 4.3% compared to the same period in 2024); France (with almost 9.2 million and an increase of 0.1%), and Germany (with more than 8.2 million and an increase of 2%). So, who have been the big cash winners so far this year?
In August, the increase in spending by international tourists was 3.8 points higher than the increase in the number of foreign visitors. Spain received 11.3 million international tourists (+2.9%), who generated total spending of over €16.39 billion (+6.7%). In August the main countries of origin in terms of spending in August were the United Kingdom (with 19.2% of the total), France (13.4%) and Germany (11.1%). Spending by tourists residing in the United Kingdom increased by 3.8% year-on-year, that of France by 1.4% and that of Germany by 10%.