The expansion of the flight network between Türkiye and Spain, along with the positive atmosphere created by the political climate, is expected to have a stimulating effect on tourism.
The number of Spanish tourists visiting Türkiye, which was around 450,000 last year, is expected to rise to 700,000 this year.
The "friendship wave" established between Türkiye and Spain on social media has also started to be felt in tourism. Recently, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who, by challenging Israel and the U.S. and aligning with Türkiye on both Gaza and Iran, sent greetings to the Turkish people with a flag via social media, further increasing interest in Türkiye in Spain.
In the second half of 2025, the increase in mutual flights and charter services between the two countries had already boosted the number of tourists arriving from Spain by 20% by the end of 2025.
This year, continued flight operations, a positive political climate and friendly messages exchanged between citizens of both countries on social media have created expectations of a 50% increase in Spanish tourist arrivals.
Accordingly, Türkiye, which hosted 452,000 Spanish tourists last year, is expected to welcome nearly 700,000 Spanish visitors by the end of this year. Recent booking data also supports this trend.
Meanwhile, Spain’s Ambassador to Ankara, Cristina Latorre Sancho, announced at the Spain Road Show event held in Istanbul on Feb. 17 that the so-called “Cascade Rule” expected to be implemented within the Schengen framework would be introduced.
This is seen as a factor that will facilitate Turkish travelers' access to Europe. Spain, which was visited by 600,000 Turkish tourists last year, is expected to welcome nearly 1 million Turkish tourists this year thanks to visa facilitation.
Hüseyin Kurt, a board member of the Tourism Development Agency (TGA) and co-founder of GlobeMeets, said that a strong and positive wave has recently formed between Spain and Türkiye, especially on social media.
Noting that Sanchez has also made very positive statements about Türkiye, Kurt said: “In addition, recent geopolitical developments and especially Spain's anti-war, balanced and constructive stance have created strong sympathy in Turkish public opinion. This has led to not only a touristic but also an emotional and perceptual rapprochement between the two countries.”
The increase in Spanish tourist arrivals was also observed during the so-called low season of January through February.
According to statistics shared by the Culture and Tourism Ministry, Spanish arrivals increased by 23.35% year-over-year in the first two months of this year, reaching 52,102 visitors. In January through February 2025, 42,240 Spanish tourists visited Türkiye, compared to 34,045 in the same period of 2024.
Kurt also noted that airlines from both countries have increased mutual flights.
"With Turkish Airlines and Pegasus Airlines launching new routes such as Sevilla and Bilbao, and Spanish airline Air Europa starting operations from Istanbul, access between the two countries has never been easier."
"Even though these additional flights began in the second half of last year, tourist numbers from Spain increased by 20%. This has boosted not only Turkish travel to Spain but also Spanish interest in Türkiye. This year, the flight schedule will fully align with the season, which will have a very significant impact," he said.
Kurt emphasized that we are now in a period where not only Turkish interest in Spain is growing, but also Spanish curiosity and demand for Türkiye is rising rapidly.
“The expansion of the flight network, the positive perception created by the political climate, and the mutual sympathy between the two societies are creating a ‘gentle breeze’ between the two countries,” he added.
He noted that this impact is already being felt, with booking activity accelerating. He also conveyed expectations that this momentum will also be reflected in 2026 tourism figures.
"Considering current trends, we expect more than a 50% increase in visitors from Spain to Türkiye compared to last year. Likewise, with visa support, we foresee growing interest from Turkish tourists in Spain. We are now talking about not a one-way tourism flow between Türkiye and Spain, but a mutually reinforcing, strengthening, and expanding travel ecosystem," he concluded.
