BRITISH TOURISTS visiting Spain in the first 10 months of 2023 totalled just under 15. 5 million people, an annual increase of 14. 3%.
The UK market has played a leading role in the recovery of Spanish tourism following the Covid-19 pandemic and accounts for the number of foreign visitors.
The next two largest groups are from France (almost 10.4 million and an increase of 17.0%) and Germany (with more than 9.6 million, up 9.4%).
In the first 10 months of 2023, the number of tourists visiting Spain exceeded 74. 7 million, an increase of 18. 2% compared to the same period last year.
If the figure for 2023 is compared with the cumulative figure for the first 10 months of 2019- before the pandemic- foreign arrivals are 0.2% higher.
The statistics for the Costa Blanca and the Valencian Community are more dramatic, reaching more than nine million foreign tourists until the end of October, more than a part of a million more than the total for 2019.
Following the existing trend, Alicante-Elche Airport expects a year with a record number of passengers, exceeding the total for 2019.
Most of the arrivals were independent travelers.
The new air routes will further increase the number, next year with more connections.
Last week, easyJet presented the first of its promotional campaigns on the Costa Blanca ahead of the budget airline’s opening of a base at Alicante-Elche airport in 2024.
It has announced 10 new routes connect with Southampton, Newcastle, Belfast City, Zurich, Prague, Lyon, Lille, Nantes, Nice and Birmingham next summer.
Finnair also announced that it will operate 3 weekly flights between Alicante and Helsinki during the upcoming high season.
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