SPAIN. ForwardKeys has released new data which shows encouraging signs for Spain’s tourism industry and activity at Spanish airports, for both inbound and outbound travel.
The Summer season in Spain this year is being boosted by strong booking demand from Scandinavia, with flight reservations from Denmark and Sweden both more than +50% ahead compared to 2019 levels for bookings made for future travel in the week commencing 28 April.
The equivalent figures for two other key source markets have also been published by the travel data analyst. They show that France is +1% ahead of 2019 bookings for the same week but the UK is lagging well behind at -70%. [Note: The figures pre-date the reopening of outbound travel from the UK this week, with strong travel bookings for market such as Spain in recent days -Ed].
ForwardKeys Insights Expert Juan Gómez commented: “While key source markets like the United Kingdom remain in the backburner, paying attention to Scandinavians and other traditional European source markets that are reactivating quicker, could make the difference for Spanish destinations that rely heavily on international arrivals.”
More flight data from ForwardKeys shows that Sweden, Denmark and the Netherlands are the most resilient markets ahead of the Spanish summer season, with confirmed tickets for travelling to Spain between June and August only -20%, -42% and 54% behind the same numbers from 2019, respectively.
Meanwhile, the travel data analyst revealed that Ibiza (-34%), Palma (-42%), Alicante (-50%), Menorca (-56%) and Malaga (-61%) are ahead of the national average for confirmed tickets from the EU and the UK this summer.
Domestic flight bookings in Spain are also showing some encouraging trends, with the Canary Islands and the Balearics seeing, in ForwardKeys’ words, “an unprecedented number” of domestic tickets issued in recent weeks.
Overall flight tickets for domestic summer travel in Spain remain -62% below 2019 levels, but the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands are currently tracking -36% and -42% below, respectively. Both destinations make it to the top positions of the most resilient destinations in Spain, according to ForwardKeys’ data.
International outbound travel from Spain this summer is also showing strong pick-up. With the vaccination rollout in the country accelerating, ticketing for traditional long-haul destinations for the Spanish market such as Mexico are getting close to 2019 levels in recent weeks, ForwardKeys observed.
ForwardKeys’ data also shows that for the Dominican Republic and the Maldives, weekly tickets for future travel have exceeded 2019 levels since mid-April and the strong pick-up is already having a positive impact on the summer outlook for these destinations.
Currently, the Dominican Republic is the most resilient international destination for Spanish travellers, with tickets for arrivals between June and August standing at -34% behind 2019 levels. It is followed by Maldives (-54%), Mexico (-55%) and Ecuador (-64%).
