Canary Islands had 40% of all British and German visitors to Spain in January
Spain welcomed 6.7 million international airline passengers in January, a year-on-year increase of 5.2%, according to new figures from national tourism body Turespaña. Six autonomous communities — Madrid, the Canary Islands, Catalonia (Barcelona), Andalusia, the Valencia, and the Balearic Islands — absorbed 97.8% of all international arrivals.
All recorded growth except the Balearics, which saw a 7.6% drop. The strongest rise came from the Valencian Community at 7.7%, while the Canary Islands posted a more modest 1.9% increase.
Madrid accounted for the largest share of arrivals (30.3%), followed by the Canary Islands (21.8%) and Catalonia (21.4%).
Canary Islands dominate traditional markets
Passenger numbers from Europe rose by 3.5%, arrivals from the Americas grew by 8.1%, and Asia surged by 20%. Nearly all major source markets increased except Germany. Notable year-on-year growth came from Poland, Ireland, and the United States.
The United Kingdom remained Spain’s biggest emitter of tourists, sending around 1.1 million passengers, a massive 16.6% of all international arrivals, up 1.6% on last year. The Canary Islands were by far the favourite destination, receiving 44.2% of all UK travellers. The Valencian Community and Andalusia followed with 14% and 12.6% shares.
Germany sent 700,000 passengers (10.3% of the total), marking a 2.6% decline, a drop felt most acutely in the Balearics and, to a lesser extent, in the Canary Islands. Even so, the archipelago remained the top destination for German travellers, capturing 42.1% of their arrivals, followed by Catalonia at 14.6%.
Italy accounted for 10.9% of all passengers in January (730,365), showing a 2.1% year-on-year rise. Madrid and Catalonia together absorbed 60.8% of this flow.
France contributed 7% of total arrivals, posting a 1% increase. Madrid attracted 34.7% of French passengers and Catalonia 27.9%. All regions except Catalonia and the Balearic Islands increased their French visitor numbers.
Arrivals from the Netherlands represented 4.2% of the total and slipped by 4.1%. Their main destination was the Valencian Community, which still managed a 3.3% increase in Dutch passengers.
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