These are the markets that boost tourism on the Costa del Sol

In recent years, international tourism has been the lifeline for the tourism industry on the Costa del Sol. The appeal of the destination outside Spanish territory has offset the decline in domestic travelers, but five markets are boosting tourism in the province. These are the ones that supply the most travelers. However, the sector is also focusing on the growth of Poland and Morocco, with increases around 25%, according to data from the Tourism Situation Report by Turismo Costa del Sol.

Statistics make it clear that the main 'fishing ground' for tourists is the United Kingdom, which maintains a significant lead in its historic dominance. It does so by surpassing the three million traveler mark, representing a growth of 7.5%. British tourism is key to the destination. It accounts for about 30% of the passengers arriving at Malaga airport, where the British love affair with the Costa del Sol began 64 years ago. Precisely on April 1, 1962, British European Airways (BEA) opened the London-Malaga route, marking the start of British tourist flights, which even then became the first client for tourism on the Costa del Sol, as is still the case today.

Far behind the United Kingdom is Germany as the second largest source market for travelers, which last year surpassed one million tourists, after experiencing growth of 2.7%. This 'fishing ground' is crucial for the destination due to the characteristics of these tourists, who travel throughout the year, have longer stays than average, and have a larger budget for their getaways.

It is from the third position that the dance of markets that alter the classic trio begins. While the French have traditionally been the third most important market, they have fallen to fifth place following the sustained momentum in recent years of tourists from the Netherlands. The influx of Dutch tourists has grown so much that they now exceed 812,000 arrivals at Malaga airport last year. A figure that confirms that the upward trend continues unabated, with a new increase of 10.1% in 2025.

The fourth place also comes as a surprise that confirms the statements from industry professionals pointing to the strength of the Italian market. Italy rises as the fourth most important market for the Costa del Sol with already 693,388 passengers, after growing nearly 8% in the previous year. An increase that has allowed it to surpass France, which remains relegated to the 'Top 5' key markets for the province, very close to Italy. Specifically, the statistics indicate that last year 689,675 French travelers arrived at Malaga airport, after growing 1.6%, a total of 10,600 more than the year before.

Of the thirteen most important markets for the sector, only three show a slight decline: Sweden, Denmark, and Norway.

Data from Turismo Costa del Sol indicates the good health of these five markets with upward trends. Indeed, of the thirteen most important markets for the sector, only three show a slight decline, and interestingly, all three are Nordic. These are Sweden, Denmark, and Norway, which despite an increase in air connections have been showing a cooling of demand since the start of the Ukraine war with a significant impact not only on the rise in energy bills but also due to a depreciation of the currency. All this has resulted in a loss of travelers of less than 1%.

In this 'Top 13', the sector focuses attention on two markets growing at a rate of 25%. These are Poland and Morocco, countries in which airlines have made a strong commitment in recent years, now with direct flights from the Costa del Sol to six Polish cities - Gdansk, Katowice, Lodz, Poznan, Warsaw, and Wroclaw - and as many Moroccan cities - Casablanca, Fez, Marrakech, Rabat, Tangier, and Tetouan. Last year, 446,988 passengers from Poland chose this destination, almost 90,000 more, and 339,693, 24% more, from Morocco.

This list of the thirteen markets that contribute the most tourists to the destination also includes, in order of importance, Ireland, Belgium, Poland, Sweden, Denmark, Switzerland, Morocco, and Norway.

64 years of the British love affair with the Costa del Sol

64 years ago, specifically on April 1, 1962, British European Airways (BEA) opened the London-Malaga route. That first BEA flight, with great significance for the destination, was operated on a Vickers Vicount V.802, with a capacity for 66 passengers. On board were journalists and British personalities who were welcomed by the authorities and visited Nerja, Ronda, Granada, and trendy places in the city like El Pimpi and El Pinar hotel, as recorded in the publication History of the Costa del Sol. It was a four-hour flight, on a route operated by this company twice a week. It had a rapid contagion effect that led to the company Euravia, later turned into Britannia, which intermittently connected from Malaga with its Super Constellation. Shortly thereafter, a third airline joined this Malaga-London connection. It was British United Airways (BUA). The success of these flights is evidenced by the fact that in 1964 Britannia considered acquiring a new aircraft for its fleet, with the condition that it could fly from Luton, where this company was based, to the capital of the Costa del Sol. Therefore, the final selection was between a BAC 1-11 or the Boeing B-737, with the balance tipping in favor of the latter despite pressures from the authorities of the country to opt for models from the British manufacturer. This strong expansion in the United Kingdom was accompanied by dynamism in markets such as the Nordic or American and the emergence of charter flights, which reduced the prices of tickets for regular connections by 35%, with tour operators and travel agencies being the catalysts for a change in which paid vacations became universal. Thus, between 1965-1970, international passengers heading to the Costa del Sol multiplied by five and reached a million for the first time, specifically, 1,239,775 passengers, with the United Kingdom being the main market. The germ of the current low-cost carriers that lead the movement of travelers at the airport and of which a third are British caused the passenger terminal inaugurated in January 1968 to become too small that same year, forcing the start of construction of a new one dedicated exclusively to charter flights. It was not until 1972 that it was inaugurated. However, the chronicle of the history of the Costa del Sol already mentioned that in 1951, police data counted 4,036 foreigners who had lived in Torremolinos for more or less long seasons. At the forefront were the English with 1,256 visitors. Now this colony of Britons is around 75,000. Before modern aviation filled the sky with planes, already in May 1956 the English tour operator Horizon Holidays began organizing charter flights to the Costa del Sol, with its own planes and groups that stayed in Torremolinos for fifteen days. The flights were weekly with Malaga airport and each plane brought 36 people. Nothing like the current 'air bridge'. It is worth noting that in the last high season, the United Kingdom was the most connected market with the Malaga infrastructure, accounting for 55 of the 259 total routes. Airlines offered nearly five million seats in the 26,000 operations scheduled with this country. By destinations, London remains at the forefront as the city with the most seats and flights offered by airlines at Malaga airport, specifically, more than two million (2,013,600 seats) in 10,800 operations last summer.