“The Russian market in the first months of 2019 showed an increase in traffic by 23%. One of the reasons for the growth in demand is regular air traffic between Russia and Tenerife. Thanks to the latest changes in the airline’s flight program, the number of flight sites has doubled since the fall of 2018,” says marketing company TMI, citing statistics on inbound tourism for Tenerife. 

Russian tourist flow to Spain has already grown in the low season. The popular Mediterranean destination is booked even more actively for the end of spring and summer, and May tours are almost sold out - some players add air transportation volumes for the destination during this period. 

To achieve ambitious goals in increasing the volume of tourists in 2019 up to 1.3 million and by 2023 – up to 5 million tourists, TUI Russia also plans due to the active development of priority destinations, one of which for the company is Catalonia in Spain. 

The Russian airline Aeroflot starts to fly on the summer flight schedule, which will operate from March 31 to October 26, 2019. Two new international routes of the national carrier caused special attention among tourism community. From June 1, passengers will be offered direct flights from Moscow to Palma de Mallorca (Spain) with a frequency of 4 times a week and to Marseille (France) - 5 times a week. 

On April 28, S7 Airlines launches direct regular flights from St. Petersburg to Barcelona. As follows from the message published on the company's official portal, the airplanes will fly from Pulkovo to Barcelona twice a week: on Wednesdays and Sundays. 

Aeroflot has begun ticket sales for flights to Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Spanish island Mallorca. Regular flights on the Moscow – Palma de Mallorca – Moscow route will launch on 1 June 2019.  Four weekly flights on Airbus A320 aircraft will operate on the following schedule: 

According to the National Institute of Statistics of Spain (INE), more than 1.1 million Russian tourists visited the country from January to October this year, which is almost 6% more than in the first ten months of last year. Only in October the number of tourists from Russia grew 12.6%, and amounted up to 91 thousand. Among the source markets Russia is on the sixth position behind the UK, Germany, France, USA and Portugal.

Russian tourist flow to Spain in 2018 continues to grow steadily. For the first 10 months, the number of Russian arrivals in Spain grew by almost 6%. According to tour operators, the positive trend on the destination will continue in the future. According to the National Institute of Statistics of Spain, in January-October, more than 1.1 million citizens of the Russian Federation visited the country.

Spain is one of European outbound destinations where the fall of the Russian tourist flow is not observed in the 2018 season. Moreover, in contrast to the key source markets in Spain, such as the United Kingdom, France and Germany, which this year show a decline of up to 5%, Russia shows steady growth.

During the first 9 months of 2018, Spain has already been visited by more than a million citizens of the Russian Federation. The leader in the number of arrivals is Catalonia. By the end of the year, the Russian tourist flow to Spain will exceed the figures of 2017.

“S7 Airline in the winter schedule of this year plans to open flights to the island of Tenerife (the largest of the Canary Islands archipelago) and to the Vietnamese resort Cam Ran”, told the senior vice president of S7 Tatiana Filyova. “The flights to Tenerife will be performed from Moscow, the flights to Cam Ran from Novosibirsk”, she added. Also, according to her, S7 intends to increase the frequency of flights Moscow - Reykjavik. "The next summer we will increase the frequency of flights. It is a very good direction, excellent," - said T. Filyova. The flights to Reykjavik the company began in June this year, before this date there was no direct regular air service between Russia and Iceland. Answering the question, why S7 stopped flights from Moscow to Tehran, where the company flew from June 2017 to July 2018, she said: "There's a slightly different story. There are sanctions against Iran, the fluctuation of exchange rates and so on”.

The Russian tourist flow to Spain for the first six months grew by 10.7% in a year-on-year basis. At the same time, 60% of Russian arrivals are to Catalonia resorts. In June the number of Russians in Catalonia was 16% more than a year ago. According to the National Institute of Statistics (INE), in January-June 37 million foreign tourists visited Spain (+ 1.8% against the same period of 2017).

As it was reported earlier, Spain for 2018 expects the growth of the Russian market from 10 to 20%. One of the factors of growth is an increase of transportation volumes from Russian Federation. In this summer season 145 regular airplanes performed flights to Spanish destinations (Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Gerona, Valencia, Alicante, Tenerife, Mallorca, Malaga) monthly, which is 20% more than in the summer of last year. In 2017 1.1 million Russian tourists visited Spain, which is 14.1% more than in the previous year.

“Over 335,000 Russian tourists visited Spain in January-May 2018, which is 9% more than in the same period of the last year”, - according to the data of National Institute of Statistics (INE) of the country. In May 2018 91,1 thousand Russians visited the country, which is 10% more than for the same period a year earlier.

The flight program of TUI Russia tour operator and Ural Airlines from Moscow to Barcelona is optimized. Since the first days of August the number of places ordered by TUI Russia will be declined. Blocks of seats on the flights of Ural Airlines, departing on Wednesdays and Sundays, were purchased by TEZ TOUR.

“About 90% of Schengen visas issued by the Consulate of Spain in Moscow in 2017 are long-term and multiple”, - said the Consul of Spain Juan-Pedro Pérez-Gomez Delaunay. He said that totally in 2017 the Consulate issued 476 thousand visas, which is 7% more than a year earlier.

“Spain in January-April 2018 was visited by 243.9 thousand Russian tourists, it’s an increase of 8.6% in comparison with the same period of the last year”, - according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE) of the country. The total number of tourists who came to Spain for the first four months of 2018 is 20.5 million, which is 2.3% more than for the same period of 2017.

“Vacations at 15 new resorts on Spanish island of Mallorca is now available for booking”, -reported the press service of Anex Tour operator. "The new directions are town and resort Alcudia, Puerto de Alcudia, Playa de Muro, S'Illot island, Cala Mesquida, Cala Millor, Cala Ratjada, Colonia Sant Jordi, Lyukmayor, Ses Salines, Port de Sóller, Port Andratx, Portals Nous and Cala D'Or".

“In March 55,400 Russian tourists visited Spain, which is 13% more than in the same month a year ago”, - according to the National Institute of Statistics of the country. In total, 5.4 million foreign tourists visited Spain in March, which is 10% more than in the same month in 2017.

“In January 2018 67 thousand Russian tourists visited Spain, which is 5.5% more than for the same month a year ago”, - said the National Statistical Institute of the country. In total, Spain hosted 4.1 million foreign tourists for the first month of 2018, which is 5.2% more than last year's result.

The flow of tourists from Russia to Catalonia by the end of 2017 amounted 688.7 thousand people - almost two thirds of all Russian tourists who visited Spain. This was reported by the Deputy Director of the representative office of the Council for Tourism of Catalonia in Russia Kristina Ionitskaya.

Since April 26, 2018 S7 Airlines starts the regular flights to Tenerife Island. The flights will be performed on Mondays and Thursdays by Airbus A320 airliners. Departure time from Domodedovo is 13:25 and arrival time to Sur Reina Sofia airport is 19:20 of local time. The return flight departs at 20:20 and arrives to Moscow at 05:45 the next day.

“S7 Airlines will open regular direct flights from St. Petersburg to Barcelona from April 27, 2018”, - the carrier's press service informs. Flights from Pulkovo airport to Barcelona will be carried out on Tuesdays and Fridays. Departure from St. Petersburg at 9:05, arriving at Barcelona airport at 12:30 of local time.

“The tourist flow from Russia to Catalonia grew by 23% in 2017”, - reported the Association of Tour Operators of Russia (ATOR). "Catalonia last year was visited by 688 thousand Russian tourists, which is 23% more than a year earlier. This is the best indicator for the last three years”, - informed the report.

The Russian tourist flow to Spain increased by 14.1% for 11 months. At present time the dynamics of early booking of tours to Spain for the next summer promises further growth. According to Frontur, which monitors data of tourism in Spain, from January to November the country was visited by almost 1.1 million Russian citizens. By this indicator Russia was the tenth largest incoming market. Only in November more than 52,000 tourists from Russia visited Spain, which is 25.7% higher than in November 2016.