Spain Captures the Spotlight in 2025, Leading Southern Europe with 33% of International Tourism Demand

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Spain strengthens its position as a top-tier global tourism destination, capturing 33% of international travel demand to Southern Europe in the first half of 2025, according to an analysis by Mabrian, a leading travel intelligence platform under The Data Appeal Company–Almawave Group. Iconic destinations such as Madrid, Barcelona, and the Canary Islands continue to draw international travelers year-round, highlighting Spain’s pivotal contribution to the sustainable growth of the region’s tourism industry.

This analysis is based on Mabrian’s Share of Searches Index*, which evaluates global interest in specific destinations by analyzing flight search activity rather than confirmed bookings. For this study, the index monitored flight searches to the top 20 airports across Spain, accounting for 82% of total travel interest in the country. The research exclusively focused on international travel demand from January to June 2025, comparing Spain’s current global market share to previous years, showcasing a significant shift in international travel preferences.

Overall, 74.4% of global inspirational travel demand to Spain during the first semester of 2025 is concentrated in just 10 destinations: Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Alicante, Palma de Mallorca, Tenerife, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Valencia, Seville, and Lanzarote. “This concentration highlights the strong pull these Spanish destinations have among international travellers,” says Carlos Cendra, Director of Marketing and Communications at Mabrian.

Madrid and Barcelona, Spain’s two primary connectivity hubs, dominate international travel demand to the country, accounting for 24% and 21.7% respectively. Both cities are also witnessing a notable rise in global inspirational demand. Madrid has seen its share increase by 3 percentage points compared to the first half of 2024, while Barcelona recorded a year-over-year growth of 1.2 percentage points.

Meanwhile, data from Mabrian indicates that the Canary Islands will remain a favorite among international travelers visiting Spain during the first half of 2025. Destinations such as Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Lanzarote, and Fuerteventura are all experiencing higher demand compared to the same period in 2024. Leading the trend is Tenerife, capturing 3.7% of international travel demand to Spain, followed by Gran Canaria with 3.4%.

“Three other destinations are worth monitoring due to their ability to attract international demand,” says Cendra. These include Malaga, Alicante, and Palma de Mallorca, that represent, respectively, 6.4%, 4.3% and 4.1% of global inspirational demand to Spain. “This positive trend reflects the sustained efforts to position these destinations as year-round options,” he adds.

Spain Claims One-Third of Southern Europe’s International Travel Market

An analysis of 20 Spanish destinations—such as Ibiza and Menorca in the Balearic Islands, Tarragona and Girona in Catalonia, Granada in Andalusia, and Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela in Northern Spain—reveals that Spain attracts 33% of the international travel demand to Southern Europe. Additionally, these destinations represent 12% of the total global demand for travel to Europe.

“This data reinforces Spain’s position as a leading global destination and its significant role in driving demand to Europe” Cendra explains. With Spain breaking a new record in 2024 by welcoming 94 million international travellers, he emphasizes that “data intelligence is crucial for optimizing this demand, ensuring that resources are managed effectively to keep travel and tourism both productive and beneficial for the industry and local communities.”

Mabrian’s Search Share Index is a unique metric designed to gauge travel demand by analyzing flight search behavior. This proprietary index calculates a percentage that compares the volume of global flight searches to the spontaneous interest in specific destinations within a chosen source market and time frame.