The role of airports in the tourist market development on the example of Spain

The role of air transport in the development of tourism has been crucial for the last decades. Among others, it opens the tourist market for new destinations, and induces the development of tourist infrastructure and tourist services. The main purpose of the article was to investigate the influence of air transport on tourism in one of the world’s most important tourist destinations – Spain. A brief historical background was provided. The authors then analyzed the functioning of the most important part of the infrastructure, i.e. airports in Spain, in the context of passenger transport, tourist motivations or preferred tourist destinations. The study indicates that Spain, located peripherally on the European continent and receiving more than 60 million international tourists per year, owes its success to the air connections. New destinations appeared on the tourist map of Spain that had earlier been less accessible for international and national tourists. Tourism in Spain is based in 80% on air transport, which is the reason for its dynamic development.