The market that registered the highest growth in Spain last month was Poland, with 36.4 per cent compared to May 2022, according to Spanish authorities.
Data provided by Spain’s official tourism website, Turespana, also revealed that Poland was followed by Portugal, which also recorded a growth rate of 24.1 per cent, marking a significant increase in the number of Portuguese visitors to Spain, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.
Even Italy experienced a growth rate of 22.6 per cent, reflecting a rising number of Italian tourists choosing Spain as their destination.
The arrival of British passengers has had an impact on all autonomous communities in Spain, particularly in the Balearic Islands, which received 25.2 per cent of British passengers, and the Canary Islands, which welcomed 21.2 per cent of them.
Furthermore, a significant majority of British passengers (80.4 per cent) travelled with low-cost carriers (LCCs). As a result, British passengers accounted for 32.5 per cent of the total arrivals for LCCs.
According to figures from Turespana, the total number of travellers from the United Kingdom to Spain during the first five months of the year amounted to 7,439,633.
Germany is the second country of origin for international passengers arriving in Spain after the UK. In May 2023, passenger from Germany accounted for 14.8 per cent of the total, experiencing a growth rate of 7.5 per cent compared to the same month in the previous year.
Among the destinations in Spain, the Balearic Islands particularly benefited from the increase in German passengers, receiving 45.2 per cent of the total German arrivals.
Regarding travel preferences, slightly less than half of the German passengers (45.2 per cent of the total) travelled with traditional companies, indicating a preference for full-service airlines. Germany also led the arrivals in traditional airline companies, contributing 17.1 per cent of the total arrivals in this segment.
As the third country of origin, Italy accounted for nine per cent of the total passenger flow received in May. The same experienced a significant year-on-year growth rate of 22.6 per cent. This growth particularly benefited Catalonia, 29.9 per cent of Italian passengers, and Madrid, 25.8 per cent of Italian passengers.
In terms of travel preferences, the majority of Italian passengers (79 per cent of the total) chose to travel with low-cost carriers (LCCs) rather than traditional companies.
France, another important country of origin, accounted for 7.9 per cent of all passengers in May and showed a growth rate of 9.8 per cent compared to the previous year. Madrid and Catalonia were the regions that particularly benefited from increased French passengers.
Regarding the Netherlands, international passengers from this country experienced a slight increase of 1.5 per cent in May. Catalonia and the Balearic Islands were the main destinations favoured by Dutch travellers.
Overall, the data shows that Spain’s tourism industry continues to recover, with a significant increase in the number of passenger arrivals. The total number of passengers for the first five months of the year reached 34 million, representing a remarkable growth rate of 28.8 per cent compared to the same period in 2022.