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ARCHIVED - Spain triples the number of international tourists in August
The UK topped the list for the most holidaymakers arriving in Spain
Spain’s tourism industry was unquestionably decimated by the coronavirus pandemic, with Covid restrictions and travel bans effectively calling a halt to international visitors throughout much of 2020. This summer the situation has improved, however, with the latest data from Turespala published on Monday September 20 showing that Spain received five million passengers from overseas airports in August alone, representing an increase of 172% compared to the same period last year.
However, this figure is almost half (48.6%) of the international arrivals that were seen in August 2019, a record month for passengers.
The figures have been released just as the UK government announced a relaxation of travel restriction rules to come into force on October 4.
The August numbers are up slightly from the 4.4 million foreign tourists that arrived in Spain in July, with the Minister for Industry, Trade and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, insisting that the figures are what would be expected as international travel gradually recovers. The Minister added that the success of the vaccination campaign, which has now reached 75.4% of the population, has earmarked Spain as a safe travel destination, and she highlighted the fact that the British Government’s decision to relax its travel restrictions from October 4 "is a step in the right direction that will contribute to increasing mobility".
Even before the UK announced that fully vaccinated travellers wouldn’t require Covid tests when travelling to Spain, passenger arrivals from British airports tripled in August compared to the same month in 2020, an increase of 212.6%. Of the 821,853 UK holidaymakers who arrived in Spain last month, the vast majority travelled to the Balearic Islands.
While the UK topped the list of travellers to Spain, Germany came in at a close second with 803,555 arrivals, followed by France (540,679), Italy (491,698), the Netherlands (369,269), Switzerland (221,369), Belgium (203,404), Portugal (136,907), Ireland (119,781), Poland (113,527) and Denmark (90,951).
On average, travellers from these countries alone represent a 75% increase compared with August 2020, with growth of more than 400% from Denmark and Ireland.
In August, the Balearic Islands were the most popular destination for foreign tourists, boasting more than a quarter of all arrivals (25.9% and 1.29 million passengers). The islands are followed by Madrid, Catalonia, Andalucía, the Canary Islands and the Valencian Community.
Of the total number of international passengers who arrived in Spain in August, the majority (60.1%) travelled with low-cost airlines.
Image: Archive
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