Spain has experienced a notable increase in international tourism during the first five months of 2024, according to recent data from Turespaña. A total of 38.7 million passengers arrived in the country, representing an increase of 13.6% compared to the same period of the previous year.
The Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, has highlighted market diversification as a key factor, with a notable increase in passengers from distant countries such as Canada, China and Chile, which registered increases of more than 35% in May alone.
In May, Spain received 9.9 million international passengers by air, an increase of 13% compared to the same month in 2023. Of these, 55.9% came from the European Union, experiencing an increase of 13%. 4%, while the flow from other countries increased by 12.5%.
Main issuing markets
In May, the main source markets continued to show strong increases in the number of passengers to Spain. The United Kingdom led with 2.4 million passengers, representing 23.7% of total arrivals and a year-on-year growth of 9.1%. The Balearic Islands were the most popular destination for Britons, receiving 25.2% of these travelers.
Germany was the second largest issuer with 1.5 million passengers (14.9% of the total), increasing by 13.3% compared to May 2023. Italy was third with 8.9% of arrivals ( 886,938 passengers), registering a growth of 12.3%. France issued 7.7% of the total (763,390 passengers), with an increase of 9%. The Netherlands also showed a significant increase of 9.4%, issuing 4.8% of total passengers.