SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE / MADRID, Oct 19 (EUROPA PRESS) –
Canary airports received a total of 613,951 international passengers in September, 517% more than in the same of the previous year but 44.2% less than in September 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic began, according to data. public this Tuesday by Turespaña.
The archipelago accumulated 11.2% of the market share in Spain this month and in the accumulated of the first nine months of the year added a total of 2,372,988 international travelers, 29% less than in the same period of last year and 79.9% less than before the pandemic.
In the segment of traditional companies, airlines transferred 311,646 passengers to the islands in September, 780% more in the interannual rate but still 34.7% less than in the same month of 2019.
As for the ‘low cost’ companies, there were 302,305 passengers in September, 372% more than in the previous year and 36.1% less than before the health crisis.
By airports, Tenerife South led the arrival of international passengers in September with 237,865, 378% more in the last year and 33.7% less than in the same month of 2019, followed by Gran Canaria (154,035) and Fuerteventura (109,944).
In total, Spain received 5 million passengers from international airports in September, five times more than in the same month last year (+ 437%), but slightly more than half of the arrivals registered in September 2019 (9.7 million passengers).
In the accumulated of the year (January-September), the volume of arrivals of travelers from international airports reached 20.7 million passengers, 12.7% more than in 2020, a year marked by restrictions in the face of the Covid pandemic .
The Minister of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, Reyes Maroto, stressed that these figures reflect that Spain is “in the right direction” and that the recovery of the Spanish tourism sector is “solid, consolidating month by month with official data” they are publishing.
For the Minister of Tourism, the increase in arrivals from the main emitting countries shows that “Spain is perceived as a safe and quality destination where you can enjoy a few days of rest.”
In his opinion, this has been possible thanks to the good pace achieved in the vaccination process, which has allowed transferring “certainties” to the international traveler, as well as the use of the EU-Covid digital certificate, the effort of the Spanish tourism sector and the success of the promotional campaign deployed by Turespaña and the offices abroad.
Of the total international passengers who traveled to Spain in September, the majority (59.8%) traveled with a low-cost company, while the remaining 40.2% opted for traditional airlines.
UNITED KINGDOM, THE MARKET THAT FALLS THE MOST
According to data from Turespaña, the decrease in international passengers has been registered in the main issuing countries with respect to the same month of 2019, with the Netherlands being the country with the lowest fall (-15%) and the United Kingdom the one with the greatest decrease, with 62 , 8%.
Specifically, Germany generated 18.5% of the passenger arrivals arriving in Spain in September, reaching 821,853 travelers, that is, 39.7% less than the same month in 2019.
The second country issuing international passengers to Spain was the United Kingdom, with 877,108 travelers in September who had the Balearic and Canary Islands as their priority destination.
It was followed by Italy (428,661), France (394,856), the Netherlands (379,636), Belgium (221,965), Switzerland (206,221), Portugal (144,169), Ireland (129,105), Denmark (109,825) and Poland (99,157).
BALEARIC ISLANDS AND MADRID, MAIN DESTINATION COMMUNITIES
In September, the Balearic Islands were the main autonomous community of destination for international passengers, accumulating more than a quarter of arrivals (23.2% and 1.17 million travelers).
It is followed by the Community of Madrid (19% and 959,706 passengers), Catalonia (18% and 908,572), Andalusia (13.6% and 689,937), the Canary Islands (12.1% and 613,951) and the Valencian Community (11.8% and 597,870).
All the autonomous communities registered falls in international travelers compared to September 2019, with Catalonia (-59.8%) and Madrid (57%), the most.
By airports, Adolfo Suárez Madrid Barajas was the one that received the highest volume of international passengers (19% of the total), followed by Palma de Mallorca (17.1%), Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat (16.9%) , Malaga (11.3%), Alicante (8%), Ibiza (4.9%), Tenerife South (4.7%), Valencia (3.8%), Gran Canaria (3%) and Fuerteventura (2 ,2%).
