The Spanish government expects the tourist season to be a good one and for the flow of travellers to Spain to remain normal despite the conflict in the Middle East, which has driven up the price of aviation fuel, although it will remain ‘vigilant’ in the face of any turbulence in the sector.
“We want to send a message of reassurance ahead of the tourist season that is now beginning, which is set to be another good season – all the indicators point to this – and we will uphold the European Union’s stance of vigilant reassurance,” said the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, on her arrival at a meeting of the EU’s Industry and Single Market Council.
In particular, attention will be paid to possible price rises and how these might affect connections between EU countries and the countries that are sources and destinations for tourism, a “very important” issue for both Spain and the EU bloc, as the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, explained.
“The data continues to indicate (…) steady growth. In other words, we remain in a situation of calm, with normalised flows and confidence in the tourism sector. That does not mean we are not all on the alert, vigilant and aware (…) of any signs that might indicate potential turbulence in our sector,” she stressed.
She noted that the EU-27 will likely address the need to take measures to support the sector if the conflict drags on, and recalled that Spain has already approved measures to support citizens’ spending power and the affected sectors, including tourism. But she insisted that “the conflict must end as soon as possible”, as it is already having an economic impact on all member states.
The Secretary of State assured that Spain will also argue to its partners that it is necessary to “take a short-, medium- and long-term view”, and will therefore call for the next Multiannual Financial Framework 2028–2034 to include the tourism sector so that work on its sustainability and competitiveness can continue.
She will also advocate for continued efforts to promote the production of biofuels and sustainable fuels, as well as the decarbonisation of the aviation sector. In the meantime, the total number of seats scheduled on international flights to Spain for the month of June stands at 13.1 million, 7.1% more than in the same period last year, according to data published today by Turespaña.
Among the main source markets, the United Kingdom, Italy and France are projected to show a positive trend in June, with increases in seats of 8.5%, 12% and 2.6% respectively. Meanwhile, Germany’s projection is more subdued, with a slight decrease in seats this month of -0.6%. The Nordic countries are performing well. Denmark and Norway stand out with projections of 8.5% and 8.4%. The figures forecast for Sweden and Finland are more subdued, at 5.1% and 3.8% respectively.
Once again, Poland stands out with an acceleration, projecting growth of over 30%, as does Turkey, with a year-on-year change of nearly 19%. Meanwhile, the United States is seeing a more moderate increase in seat capacity in June, at 2.7%. Belgium is accelerating its growth to 11.3%. Among Latin American countries, Colombia and Mexico recorded the highest scheduled capacity, with an increase of 6.3% for the former and 9.6% for the latter in the sixth month of the year.