BARCELONA, Spain, July 21 (Xinhua) -- The future prospects for tourism between China and Spain are bright, as the number of people travelling in both directions continues to rise, Maria Llinares, representative in Beijing for the Spanish Tourism Institute (Turespana), said on Monday.

According to the representative, Spain welcomed 647,801 Chinese tourists in 2024, an increase of about 66 percent compared to the previous year, while 157,000 Spaniards visited China, marking a recovery of over 90 percent of the pre-pandemic figure.

In an interview with Xinhua on Monday, Llinares pointed out that visitor numbers in 2025 have already surpassed those recorded during the same period in 2019, before tourism between the two countries came to a halt during the pandemic.

"The outlook is positive," Llinares said, adding that the continued evolution of the sector will depend on the performance of economy, connectivity, and how well Spain adapts to the increasingly demanding Chinese market in terms of tourism marketing.

Regarding connectivity, Turespana reports that the number of direct flights between China and Spain has significantly increased this summer, nearly doubling the 2019 level.

For Llinares, the surge in connectivity is one of the main factors behind the strong performance of Chinese tourism to Spain, but she also emphasized the importance of sustained tourism marketing efforts to reinforce Spain's position as a preferred destination. ■