Spain’s tourism board, Turespaña, and United Airlines have signed new agreements to jointly promote two transatlantic routes departing from Newark Liberty International Airport: Newark–Bilbao and Newark–Santiago de Compostela. These routes add to United’s existing direct service from Newark to Madrid, Barcelona, Málaga, and Palma de Mallorca, bringing the airline’s total to six direct routes connecting the New York–New Jersey metropolitan area with Spain — more than any other U.S. carrier. The agreements were signed by Magí Castelltort Claramunt, Consul for Tourism Affairs in New York, on behalf of Turespaña, and Julia Fedor, Director of Advertising and Social Media Operations, on behalf of United Airlines.
Why it matters for business
The U.S. remains Spain’s fourth-largest source market for tourism spending, and the numbers continue to climb. In 2025, American visitors spent €10.2 billion in Spain — up 13.4% year-over-year — while arrivals reached 4.4 million, a 4.3% increase. That momentum has carried into 2026: 2.3 million U.S. visitors arrived between January and June alone, up 9.5% from the same period last year, with spending growing even faster than arrival numbers (+17.6%).
For businesses tied to travel, hospitality, logistics, or bilateral trade in the NY-NJ region, this signals a market that isn’t just recovering — it’s expanding, and outpacing prior benchmarks in both volume and spending power.
Expanding air capacity
Underpinning this growth is a steady rise in direct connectivity. Between April and September 2026, nearly 2 million seats are scheduled on direct U.S.–Spain flights, an 8.3% increase over the same period last year, supported by roughly 8,000 direct flights — up 11.1% year-over-year.
The new Turespaña–United agreements will fund joint digital marketing campaigns (and select traditional media, where measurable) to raise awareness of Bilbao and Santiago de Compostela as accessible, direct-flight destinations from Newark — part of a broader push to diversify tourism beyond Spain’s most visited regions.
