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We analyzed the distribution of trips from Madrid, Barcelona and Seville¹ during Easter Week based on data from the basic mobility studies carried out by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda (MITMA) while relying on Big Data².

We identified the main destinations in each case and which days saw the most travellers, based on trips made by residents in the same province of origin made for non-regular activities between 31 March and 9 April 2023.

MADRID – Heading towards the Mediterranean, especially on Maundy Thursday

Travel out of Madrid over the course of this Easter Week took place mainly on two days. Nearly 7 out of every 10 trips made during the week took place on Maundy Thursday. Meanwhile, the first Saturday accounted for around 20% of the trips.

Daily distribution of trips out of Madrid
 during Easter Week 2023

If we analyse the municipalities that received the highest number of trips from Madrid, coastal destinations were the largest contingent, although the distribution varies depending on when the trip is made. For example, the Balearic Islands was a major destination on 31 March, along with coast in and around Cádiz. In general, the Mediterranean —especially the Alicante coastline— are very popular destinations. During the first weekend of Easter, destinations further away in the provinces of Málaga (such as Nerja, Marbella, Rincón de la Victoria, Fuengirola or Malaga), Region of Murcia (notably San Pedro de Pinatar) or Almeria (especially with Roquetas de Mar) proved to be very popular. Meanwhile, on Maundy Thursday, the people of Madrid travel to the entire coastline of Spain, especially destinations in Alicante (notably Calp, Benidorm, Elche, Denia and Orihuela) and Valencia (notably Valencia, Cullera and Gandía). Other destinations that saw a high concentration of travellers from Madrid were Chiclana de la Frontera (Cadiz), Pineda del Mar (Barcelona), Granada, Bilbao and Cartagena, according to the data analysed.

There were also regular trips from Madrid to nearby provinces such as Toledo and Guadalajara (more popular during the first weekend of Easter), or Ávila (especially in the second weekend).

Approximation of travel flows from Madrid
 based on the municipalities that saw the most trips during Easter Week

BARCELONA – more evenly spread trips, with inland regions also featuring as destinations

Daily trips from Barcelona during Easter Week are distributed in a similar way on several days of the week. The day that witnessed the most trips was the Friday of the first weekend (about 30% of total trips). It is followed by the Saturday and Sunday of that same weekend and by Holy Wednesday and Maundy Thursday, which each account for about 15% of the total trips made during Easter.

Daily distribution of trips out of Barcelona
 during Easter Week 2023

In contrast to Madrid, certain inland destinations and those in northern Spain received a considerable number of travellers from Barcelona. Example include the province of Huesca and the Basque Country, during the first weekend, and the province of Teruel, on Maundy Thursday. There was also considerable travel towards Madrid on both Saturdays (though much more so on the first Saturday). Among those destinations located in the south of Spain, the provinces of Córdoba, Malaga and Seville proved to be popular on and around public holidays, albeit with fewer travellers than the regions mentioned above. There was also relatively heavy travel from Barcelona to Mallorca on the Balearic Islands on Palm Sunday. Easter week also saw a regular flow of travellers to towns located in the wider province of Barcelona and to the rest of Catalonia, especially to the coast, with a steady increase from Maundy Thursday onwards and during the weekend.

Approximation of travel flows from Barcelona
based on the municipalities that saw the most trips during Easter Week

SEVILLE – travel to nearby locations and heavily concentrated

The importance that the Easter Week festivities hold for those living in Seville seems to have an impact on how its residents travel during that week. Trips from out of Seville do not take place predominantly on public holidays and are largely made to the nearby provinces of Huelva and Cadiz.

Daily distribution of trips out of Seville during Easter Week 2023

The first point to note is that trips made by residents to the wider province of Seville took place mainly on the second Saturday (about 60% of total trips), with most of the travellers heading to the province of Huelva. Tuesday and Palm Sunday also exceeded 10% of the total number of trips made by residents of Seville during Easter Week, and several destinations in the province of Cadiz also stand out. Moreover, there were regular daily trips made to other municipalities in Seville.

The distribution of trips out of Seville by non-residents paints a very different picture. Monday and Tuesday each day exceed 30% of their total travel during the week, surpassed only by the trips made on the second Saturday of the week among residents. There was also trend in trips to nearby destinations and a large concentration of trips made by non-residents from Seville to, above all, the provinces of Huelva and Cadiz.

Approximation of travel flows from Seville
 based on the municipalities that saw the most trips during Easter Week

1. The destinations of Madrid, Barcelona and Seville were selected because they were the destinations of origin for most of the trips made in Spain during the month in which the previous year's Easter Week took place, according to the experimental mobility statistics of the INE based on mobile telephone data.

2. The destinations that received the most travellers from the selected points of origins for each day were identified to detect the predominant travel flows. It should be noted that MITMA's mobility studies are not limited to tourist travel. Likewise, the sampling error increases as more disaggregated results are taken.

You may also check Spanish official figures of tourism on Dataestur.es:

• Frontur: Tourism Movement at Borders
• ETR: Resident Tourism Survey