According to our data intelligence on Christmas demand, Spain is strengthening its position as a global tourist destination with significant growth in demand from European and long-haul markets, to visit major capitals such as Madrid or Barcelona, destinations such as Alicante or Malaga, or islands like Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura.
This Christmas, Spain continues to establish itself as a leading global tourist destination, with notable growth in demand from both European and long-haul markets. This trend aligns with the increase in air capacity from key source markets for Spain, as highlighted by the insight from our global travel intelligence platform.
We analysed seat availability data from Spain’s primary source markets, cross-referencing it with inspirational demand using the Share of Searches Index*. For this analysis, the index reflects the level of interest in traveling to Spain based on flight search behaviour, regardless of confirmed bookings, for the period between December 20th, 2024, and January 5th, 2025.
“Our insights show that Spain is solidifying its position as a year-round tourist destination, with demand growing not only among its traditional European source markets but also in long-haul markets such as Mexico, Brazil, and the United States,” explains Carlos Cendra, Partner and Director of Marketing and Communication at Mabrian.
Increased Demand from Latin America and Nordic Countries
The availability of airline seats to Spain during the Christmas period increases by +9.4% compared to the same period in 2023. According to our data, international air seats connectivity to Spanish airports rise by +11.7%, while domestic flights saw a +4.6% increase. Air capacity also grows from the five main international source markets: +11% from the United Kingdom, +8.2% from Germany, +24.6% from Italy, +7.7% from France, and +4.1% from the Netherlands.
Beyond year-on-year increases at major hubs such as Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (+5.2%) and Barcelona-El Prat (+6.9%), there have been significant increases in air seats availability for Alicante-Elche Airport (+21%), Málaga Airport (+12.9%), and sun-and-beach destinations such as Gran Canaria (+13.7%) and Fuerteventura (+14.7%).
This growth in seat availability during the Christmas period reflects the performance of inspirational demand for Spain compared to other European destinations. Mabrian’s Share of Searches Index shows that Spain accounts for 12.8% of the inspirational demand for European destinations, a +0.6-percentage point increase over the same period last year.
When comparing travel intent to Spain with other European destinations, demand increases slightly from key source markets, including the United Kingdom (+1.3 percentage points), Germany (+0.8%), Italy (+1.1 percentage points), France (+0.7%), and the United States (+0.5 percentage points). The Share of Searches Index also highlights significant increases in demand from Latin America, including Mexico (+4.2 percentage points) and Brazil (+1.2), as well as from Nordic countries like Norway (+2.4) and Sweden (+1.6).
Moreover, Mabrian’s spokesperson emphasizes the expected length of stay, averaging 8.3 days, +2% longer compared to Christmas 2023. This, he notes, is a “promising figure for this winter season, as longer stays drive profitability for the entire value chain of the destination.”
* Mabrian’s Share of Searches Index is proprietary index that reflects the strength of travel demand based on flight searches behaviour. Given a source market and a period of time, the Share of Searches Index is a percentage that correlates the total flight searches globally with spontaneous searches for specific destinations. Unlike confirmed bookings, this ratio shows the degree of market interest in certain destinations, and whether reservations are confirmed depends on many factors, from available connectivity, flight and accommodation prices, or other phenomena that may influence travellers’ willingness to purchase or spend.