Spain’s official tourism website, Turespaña, has reported that more than 6.5 million international air passengers arrived in the country in March 2023, marking a significant increase of 30 percent compared to the same month last year. This makes March the second month with the highest number of international passengers since 2000, indicating a promising start to the year for Spanish tourism as it aims to rebound from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In terms of passenger numbers by country of origin, the European Union accounted for 55.6 percent of all passengers in March, experiencing a growth of 25.8 percent. The rest of the world contributed to the remaining 44.4 percent, with a notable increase of 35.7 percent. Among the countries with the highest growth in passenger numbers to Spain, Portugal took the lead with a remarkable 63.2 percent increase, followed by the United States and Ireland with 42.9 percent and 38.9 percent respectively.
United Kingdom passengers remained tops in March, with 1,426,007 arrivals and a significant annual growth of 33.3 percent. The UK represented 21.9 percent of the total share of arrivals, and the Canary Islands received the highest number of British visitors, accounting for 35.7 percent of its passengers.
Germany remained the second top country of origin for international passengers, with 873,738 arrivals in March, representing 13.4 percent of the total share and experiencing an increase of 19 percent, primarily benefiting the Canary Islands. Italy followed as the third issuing country, with 592,207 passengers arriving in March, accounting for 9.1 percent of the total flow and showing a substantial interannual growth of 31.4 percent, particularly benefiting Catalonia and Madrid.
Among the communities in Spain, Madrid recorded the highest number of arrivals in March, followed by Catalonia and the Canary Islands.
Low-cost airlines were the popular choice for passengers arriving in Spain by air in March, with 58.1 percent choosing low-cost companies, marking an increase of 31.0 percent. Traditional airlines accounted for the remaining 41.9 percent and increased by 28.6 percent. Although international air passengers also include residents of Spain returning from international airports, the majority of the numbers correspond to tourists visiting the country. The positive trend in international air passenger arrivals in March 2023 indicates a promising outlook for Spanish tourism in the coming months as it strives to recover from the challenges posed by the pandemic.