The Ministry of Tourism in Spain has revealed that in the months of January to September of the current year, the country hosted no less than 73.2 million passengers traveling internationally.
This reported figure is a 19.1% spike as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
However, when compared to the levels recorded back in 2019, before the onset of the pandemic, the number of arrivals falls 1.5% short.
Turespaña
Turespaña, the government agency in Spain that has been trusted with the responsibility to promote tourism in the country, also revealed its own report.
According to its figures, Spain welcomed 9.6 million internationally traveling passengers in the country in September of the current year alone.
This number indicated a 10% surge in comparison to the same month in the previous year.
The agency went on to reveal that in September of 2023, 55.9% of passengers traveling internationally arrived in Spain from different countries within the European Union.
This number was 13.1% higher than the one reported in the corresponding period of the previous year.
Meanwhile, the remaining 44.1% of international passengers arrived in the country from locations outside of the EU.
This number indicated a total increase of 13.3% in comparison to the same month of the previous year.
Hector Gomez
The Minister of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism in Spain, Hector Gomez, said that there has been a significant diversification in the locations where international passengers come from.
He went on to add that this diversity is good news for the image of the tourism industry, which is experiencing a revolution in the current year.
In September 2023, almost all the major countries from where travelers arrived in Spain, reported a significant growth.
Consequently, the figure showcased a 10% increase as compared to the corresponding period of the previous year.
Poland was at the top of the list of the countries leading this surge, which recorded a remarkable increase of 34.3%.
This was followed by Portugal and Italy, which showed growth rates of 18.6% and 17.7% respectively.
In addition, Turespaña further disclosed that in the month of September, the Balearic Islands were reported to be the preferred destination for most international tourists to visit.
This showed that the top travel choices in the country had changed course, with more and more people wanting to escape to the tranquility of the island.
Other countries
The United Kingdom reported a total of 2.2 million international passengers to Spain, which accounted for 23.4% of the arrivals in the scenic Balearic Islands in the month of September.
This figure indicated a substantial increase of 9.6% in comparison to the same month of the previous year.
On the other hand, international passenger arrivals from Germany showed a figure of 1.4 million, which was a 10% surge from the number recorded in the same period of the previous year.
In addition, the number of tourists from Germany represented 15% of the overall number, with almost half of them choosing the Balearic Islands for their vacation.
