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Spain has come out on top as the most popular destination for travellers looking to holiday in September, according to new figures, as more and more people embrace what's being dubbed "Super September" once the peak summer crowds have thinned out.

 

Data from ABTA's Travel Trends 2026 report shows the appetite for September travel has been climbing steadily since 2023, when just 17% of travellers said they were planning a trip abroad that month. That figure rose to 23% in 2024 and reached almost a quarter of all travellers by 2025, a trend the organisation expects to continue.

 

Online travel agency eSky has seen much the same pattern. Group PR Manager Marcin Starkowski confirmed that European travellers are clearly changing the way they approach the start of autumn, pointing to a 57% year on year jump in September bookings.

 

Spain has come out well ahead of the competition, with eSky data showing the country attracted 27.9% of all September bookings this year, comfortably ahead of Greece on 17%, Italy on 10%, Türkiye on 6.5% and Bulgaria on 6%.

 

A lot of the appeal comes down to price, of course. Flights from Brussels to several Spanish destinations dropped sharply between July and September, with fares to Asturias falling by more than 64% and those to Madrid down almost 48%, according to eSky's figures.

 

There's plenty to fill a September itinerary too. Barcelona's La Mercè festival is one of the city's biggest events of the year, with four days of fireworks, parades and the famous human towers known as castells. Over in Asturias, America Day brings floats, folk groups and colourful processions celebrating the region's historic ties to emigrants who settled in the Americas.

 

 

Image: МаратД via Wikimedia Commons