Flight bookings for Catalonia have dropped by more than 20% following political unrest.
According to data from Forward Keys, international air reservations for the Spanish region fell by 22% since the beginning of October compared to the same period last year.
Hundreds of thousands have attended a rally for Spanish unity in Barcelona at the weekend in support of Madrid’s decision to impose direct rule on Catalonia.
Many urged the jailing of sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.
Puigdemont was dismissed as Spain’s central government took control of Catalan institutions.
A referendum, organised by Puigdemont’s separatist government, was held earlier this month calling for independence from Spain.
Chief executive of ForwardKeys Olivier Jager, said: “Domestic political unrest almost always deters visitors and that is what we are seeing now – a 22% collapse in international flight bookings for Catalonia.
“This will also have a knock-on to other parts of Spain because many visitors arriving in Catalonia will travel around the country. If the political crisis worsens, I fear we will see a further decline in bookings. This trend will be of great concern because Travel & Tourism represents such a large proportion of the Spanish economy, over 14% of GDP.”
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