Between January and October, Spain welcomed 82.2 million international passengers, representing an 18.4% increase compared to last year. However, it is 0.6% lower than the figures recorded in 2019, according to data from Turespaña. In October, international passengers arriving at Spanish airports amounted to 9 million, a 13.4% increase compared to the figures recorded in 2022.
The number of passengers traveling to Spain has increased in the last month from all sourcing markets. Notably, there have been significant jumps in the number of passengers coming from Italy (20.7%), the Netherlands (18.1%), Portugal (18%) and Ireland (17.7%).
The United Kingdom saw just over 2 million international passengers arrive in Spain in October, which accounted for 22.4% of all arrivals in the country. This number has increased by 10.4% compared to the previous year.
In October, the number of total international passengers increased by 11.4%, representing 15% of the total passengers, or almost 1.4 million. Among them, 41% of the passengers visited the Balearic Islands.
Italy contributed to 9.2% of the total flow of passengers with more than 830,000 people, which represents a year-on-year increase of 20.7%. The majority of Italian passengers visited Catalonia and the Community of Madrid. The Basque Country experienced the most significant year-on-year growth for this market, with 244% more arrivals of Italian travelers.
8% of the total passengers in October came from France, a 6.4% increase from the previous year. Madrid accounted for 26.4% of the arrivals from France. Moreover, Asturias, the Basque Country, and the Valencian Community also experienced year-on-year increases in French passengers.
5.2% of the travelers arrived from the Netherlands, with a growth of 18.1% by October. Catalonia and the Valencian Community were the main destinations for Dutch travelers, accounting for 40% of the arrivals.
In October, the Balearic and Canary Islands were the most popular travel destinations for British tourists, with 46.2% going to these areas. The Green Spain regions (Galicia, Cantabria, Asturias, and the Basque Country) also saw an increase of over 10% in tourism. Madrid and the Mediterranean regions also had over 10% increase in tourist arrivals.
In the same month, 57.6% of all the passengers arrived from the European Union, a 14.5% increase from the previous year. Meanwhile, the remaining 42.4% of passengers came from the rest of the world, and grew by 12%.
In October, the Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport saw the largest arrivals with 1.9 million, Barcelona second largest with 1.6 million, and Palma de Mallorca third largest with 1.1 million. Valencia Airport experienced the largest year-on-year increase with 29.1% more travelers, followed by Alicante Airport with 19.4%. From January to October 2023, Valencia, Barcelona, and Madrid airports experienced the greatest increases with 27.8%, 23.3%, and 22.8%, respectively.
Regarding the number of arrivals, Spain's six main autonomous communities accounted for 96.8% of the total. The Valencian Community experienced the highest year-over-year increase of these, at 22.6%, with Andalusia coming in second at 17.7%. The top two communities in total arrivals were Madrid, with 1.9 million, and Catalonia, with 1.8 million. The Balearics and Canary Islands followed with 1.4 million and 1.2 million arrivals, respectively.
Between January and October, Catalonia and Madrid saw the highest increase in traveler arrivals at 22.8%, followed by Valencia at 22.6%.