According to Turespaña, Spain welcomed 28.7 million passengers in the first four months of the year, marking a 13.6% increase compared to the same period in 2023. The report highlighted the strong performance of distant markets such as Canada and China, both of which saw increases of over 90% in April.
In the fourth month, the positive trend continued, with a significant rise in international air passengers, reaching 8.9 million, an 8.8% increase from the previous year. Nearly 57.5% of these passengers originated from the European Union, representing an 8.5% increase, while the remaining 42.5% came from the rest of the world, reflecting a 9.1% increase.
Jordi Hereu, Spanish Minister of Industry and Tourism, has expressed a positive view on the continuous increase in passengers during the first four months. This growth aligns with other favorable data in the sector, such as tourist spending and employment. Hereu emphasizes a positive trend in tourism during the early months of the year.
Moreover, Hereu underscored the significant growth in some of Spain's most important distant markets, vividly demonstrating its ongoing position as a top tourist destination worldwide.
The Valencian Community, Andalusia, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Catalonia, and the Community of Madrid are the six main receiving communities, accounting for 96.7% of arrivals, all of which experienced increases in April.
Catalonia saw the most significant increase, with a 14.7% year-on-year rise, while Madrid received the most arrivals, with just over 2 million.
Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas airport recorded the highest number of arrivals in April, with 2.01 million, followed by Barcelona Airport with 1.7 million, and Palma Airport with 1 million. Seville airport experienced the highest year-on-year increase at 31.9% compared to April 2023 data.