The end of August is the time when the typical holiday season slowly comes to an end, but… not in Spain! On the Costa del Sol, the sun shines more than 320 days a year and the Spanish coast is definitely alive for longer than the holiday months. It is therefore no surprise that Spain has once again ranked among the most popular tourist destinations.
Spain popular with tourists
Holidays 2024 shows that the list of the most popular holiday destinations – prepared by Wakacje.pl – includes: Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Tunisia and Spain. Further down the list are Cyprus and Bulgaria, while Malta entered the top 10 this year. At the same time, Croatia is no longer in the group of top 10 most popular holiday destinations.
One of the things that attracts our compatriots to the Iberian Peninsula is the stable prices. Many people choose to holiday in Spain because they do not have to worry about significant price increases locally. Spain is among the top European countries with the lowest inflation rate. This is why more and more Poles are choosing Marbella instead of the Baltic coast or Zakopane.
The number of flight connections from Poland to Spain has increased significantly in recent years. In particular, in the second quarter of 2023, the number of seats on scheduled flights to Spain increased compared to the previous year. This means that airlines have scheduled significantly more flights, which has contributed to an increase in the number of tourists travelling in this direction.
In addition, it is expected that several tens of per cent more tourists will fly from Poland to Spain in the 2024 summer season than in previous years. Such an increase is the result of the growing interest of Poles in Spain as a holiday destination and the development of the air offer, including an increased number of routes and flight frequencies.
From Poland, it is possible to fly to Spain from several cities that offer direct flights. The main airports are:
- Warsaw (Fryderyk Chopin Airport)
- Krakow (Balice Airport)
- Katowice (Pyrzowice Airport)
- Poznań (Ławica Airport)
- Gdańsk (Lech Wałęsa Airport)
- Wrocław (Starachowice Airport)
- Łódź (Władysław Reymont Airport)
These cities offer connections to various destinations in Spain, such as Malaga, Barcelona, Madrid, Alicante, Valencia and Seville.
Polish tourists are attracted by the uniqueness of Spanish cuisine, which is characterised by a wealth of flavours, a variety of regional dishes and cultural influences from different parts of the world. Andalusian cuisine is known for its olive oil, fish and seafood, while Catalan cuisine is characterised by sweet and spicy dishes and a rich use of vegetables.
Fresh seasonal vegetables – such as tomatoes, peppers, onions and citrus fruits – are in abundance in dishes served in Spanish restaurants. The local cuisine is known for its intense flavours, which are achieved through the use of herbs and spices – such as garlic, saffron and paprika. These ingredients add depth and flavour to the dishes.
During last year’s holidays, Poles were the most likely to fly to Spain, Ryanair points out. The country offers a variety of tourist attractions, from beautiful beaches to rich culture and history, and the Spanish are open to tourists from all over the world. The Iberian Peninsula and the Costa del Sol attract Poles not only because of the climate. Spain is simply a unique holiday destination, and increasingly it is also becoming a place of permanent residence for our compatriots.
The Mediterranean inspires
According to Wakacje.pl, in 2024 a larger number of our compatriots can afford an organised holiday outside the country. The Tourist Guarantee Fund has calculated that from the beginning of this year until May, travel agencies have concluded more than 2 million contracts with customers for charter flights. This is an increase of as much as 27 per cent year-on-year. If one were to add to this statistic data covering other means of getting to the holiday destination: by coach, own transport or low-cost airlines, the figure could rise to 2 million 780 thousand tourists!
At the same time, tourism market experts note that this year is also a record year in another respect. More Poles than ever have purchased foreign holidays in advance. In the so-called pre-sales, the offer of holidays in some countries reached from 40 per cent to even 70 per cent. Interestingly, especially holidays on the Mediterranean were purchased in this way.
Poles are also spending more and more on holidays. According to experts’ estimates, as many as 71 per cent of holiday buyers opt for week-long trips. Almost 20 per cent spend 8 to 13 days on foreign holidays. As many as 90.5 per cent of customers take the all-inclusive stay option. 97 per cent travel to their destination by plane, a trend that is also evident in Spain, including through the record performance of Malaga Airport.
