Reports of abandoned Spanish towns and tourists avoiding the country do not hold true for a specific region experiencing a surge in visitor numbers.
An airport in the renowned Costa Blanca area of Spain achieved its tenth consecutive month of record-breaking passenger figures, nearing last year’s total with several weeks left in 2025.
In October, Alicante-Elche Airport welcomed 1.9 million passengers, marking a 5.9% increase from the previous year. Among these travelers, 631,771 were British, making up more than a third of the total passenger traffic. Following the UK visitors were passengers from Germany (129,127) and the Netherlands (118,996).
Throughout 2025, the airport has seen 17.2 million travelers pass through its gates, with projections suggesting it could hit the 20 million milestone by year-end. The Olive Press, a Spanish expat news source, reported this information and noted that the airport registered its busiest October for flights, with 11,931 flights, up 6.1% from the previous year.
The introduction of new flight routes to Alicante may have contributed to the increased traffic. Ryanair recently announced new connections linking Alicante with Cardiff, Aberdeen, Bratislava, Linz, Salzburg, Bydgoszcz, Rzeszow, Stockholm Västerås, Småland, and Lanzarote.
For the winter 2025 schedule, Ryanair expanded flights on 29 existing routes to Alicante, recognizing the destination’s appeal during colder months. The airport is serviced by several budget airlines favored by British travelers, such as easyJet, Jet2, Vueling, and Wizz Air, ensuring convenient access from various UK locations.
As the fifth busiest airport in Spain and the largest in the Valencian Community, Alicante-Elche Airport’s proximity to Benidorm makes it a preferred choice for British tourists, with a direct bus ride taking just 45 minutes to reach the popular holiday destination.
Located a mere 20-minute drive from the heart of Alicante, the airport also offers easy access to cultural attractions and picturesque beaches. Alicante was praised as ‘Spain’s most underrated city break’ by The Telegraph in a 2024 feature.
These developments contrast with concerns raised during the 2023 and 2024 anti-tourism protests, leading to speculation that tourists might opt for alternative destinations like Greece or Turkey. While these protests mainly occurred in cities like Barcelona and popular island locations such as Majorca, they did not deter visitors from exploring other parts of Spain.
Benidorm has imposed strict measures to control rowdy behavior among British tourists, including bans on midnight to 7am sea swimming, with fines ranging from €300 to €1,500 (approximately £255 – £1,278). Leaving belongings on the beach before 9.30am can result in fines up to €250 (around £220.33), and smoking and vaping are prohibited on the beach, with reports of hefty fines issued.
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