Shanghai (China) (EFE).- The victory of the Spanish national team in the 2026 World Cup translated not only into praise from the Chinese press and social media, but also into a renewed interest from tourists from the Asian country in Spain, with some air routes multiplying their searches by up to 33 times.
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According to the official newspaper Global Times, citing data from the online travel agency Qunar, the route between the southeastern megalopolis of Shenzhen and Barcelona, one of the favorite destinations for international tourists in Spain, recorded the aforementioned increase in just one hour.
Other routes connecting the Catalan capital with Kunming (south), Qingdao (east), or Guiyang (south) also experienced rapid growth, with the first of these multiplying its interest by 10.
Not just Barcelona
Barcelona was not the only Spanish city to benefit from ‘La Roja’s’ triumph: flights between the aforementioned Kunming and Madrid recorded eight times more searches than last week, the same rate as from Jinan (east), and those made for trips to Malaga grew more than ten times in that period.
The Canary Islands also attracted renewed attention, with interest in flights to Tenerife growing 19 times on a weekly basis and by no less than five in the hour leading up to the Spanish victory.
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According to Qunar, the sporting milestone adds to the increase in direct air connections with Spain, already available from multiple Chinese cities, and coincides with the peak summer travel season.
The information also highlights that, despite Argentina’s defeat, Chinese tourists also increased their travel searches to Buenos Aires, with flights from Guangzhou (southeast) experiencing 6.5 times more inquiries than the previous week.
