As many feared anti-tourism protests would drive visitors away, one Spanish airport has reportedly seen a rise in the number of passengers passing through, with a third coming from the UK
In recent years, Spanish holiday hotspots like the Canary Islands and the Balearics have hit back at rising tourist numbers with locals taking to the streets against mass tourism. Many who were for tourism and its benefits feared this would put off tourists from visiting and would impact the local economy.
But one popular tourist region in Spain continues to see visitor numbers soar. An airport in the Costa Blanca region has reported its tenth consecutive record-breaking month for passenger numbers, almost surpassing last year’s total with a fair few weeks remaining in 2025, the Mirror reports.
In October, Alicante-Elche Airport welcomed 1.9 million passengers, an increase of 5.9 per cent compared to last year, and 631,771 of those passengers were Brits, representing over a third of passenger traffic. Germany made up the second-biggest number of passengers with 129,127, and the Netherlands with 118.996.
The airport has had 17.2 million people pass through its doors so far in 2025, and it’s estimated it could reach the 20 million mark by the end of the year, according to Spanish expat news outlet Olive Press. They also reported that the airport had its busiest October for flights yet with 11.931, an increase of 6.1 per cent year on year.
Alicante-Elche Airport has benefited from new routes which could be the cause of the additional traffic. Ryanair recently announced new connections to and from Cardiff, Aberdeen, Bratislava, Linz, Salzburg, Bydgoszcz, Rzeszow, Stockholm Västerås, Småland, and Lanzarote.
The airline also added additional flights on 29 of their existing Alicante routes for its winter 2025 schedule, noting the destination’s popularity during the colder months. The airport is serviced by several budget airlines popular with Brits including easyJet, Jet2, Vueling, and Wizz Air, making it easily accessible from across the UK.
Alicante-Elche is the fifth busiest airport in Spain, and the largest in the Valencian Community. One of the reasons it’s a popular destination for Brits is its close proximity to Benidorm, with a direct bus from the airport to the holiday hotspot taking just 45 minutes.
It’s also just 20 minutes away from the centre of Alicante, which has cultural attractions and beautiful beaches. The Telegraph dubbed Alicante ‘Spain’s most underrated city break’ in a 2024 article.
The news comes amid speculation that the anti-tourism protests of 2023 and 2024 would deter tourists from taking Spanish holidays. While the majority of protests took place in cities such as Barcelona and on island locations like Majorca, it was speculated that anti-tourist sentiment could lead visitors to choose alternative destinations, such as Greece or Turkey.
Benidorm has also implemented some strict restrictions to keep rowdy Brits under control. Swimming in the sea is banned between the hours of midnight and 7am, with fines between €300 and €1,500 ( approx. £255 – £1,278).
Reserving your spot can also land you in trouble, with sunbeds, towels, or umbrellas left on the sand before 9.30am removed, and potential fines of up to €250 (about £220.33) for leaving your belongings behind. Smoking and vaping have also been banned from the beach, with reports of fines reaching the thousands.
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