Barcelona, Spain – Shakira’s residency in Madrid promises to fill the city with fans of the Colombian singer. According to data* from Kiwi.com, a leading travel technology platform, demand for flights to the capital for the period between 16 September and 11 October has surged by 72.3% in passengers from Europe (including the rest of Spain) compared to the same period last year. The phenomenon is not only reflected in consolidated bookings, which grew by 83.9%, but interest during the search phase has multiplied, increasing by a spectacular 134.4%, suggesting that the ‘Shakira effect’ still has room to grow.
The pull of the Colombian singer transcends borders. Italy ranks as the top source market for passengers to Madrid, with a 41.9% increase in travellers and ahead of Spain itself. However, the highest percentage growth among European countries is led by Sweden, with 426%, albeit from a smaller base. It is followed by Croatia (+171%), Greece (+162.6%) and France (+145%), showing that interest in the residency is spreading across the continent. Across Europe excluding Spain, bookings grew by 78.5%, while searches jumped by 138%, confirming the international reach of the event.
The impact on the domestic Spanish market is equally notable, with growth of 104.7% in passengers and 120.5% in bookings. Searches from within Spain also increased by 112.2%. But if there is one figure that reveals the magnitude of the phenomenon in Spain, it is the prominence of the archipelagos. Travellers from the Balearic and Canary Islands to Madrid have multiplied: Fuerteventura and Menorca lead the increases, with rises of 218.8% and 233.3% respectively. They are closely followed by Tenerife North (+213.3%), Palma de Mallorca (+200%), Ibiza (+158%) and Lanzarote (+135.5%). The islands are thus consolidating their position as the hotspots for travel to the capital, while mainland cities such as Bilbao (+60%) or Málaga (+44.7%) also record significant, albeit more moderate, advances.
Interest in flights to Madrid is not only reflected in tickets already purchased. Flight searches, a key indicator of travel intent, show widespread growth across Europe. The Netherlands (+183.7%), Greece (+166.6%) and Switzerland (+149.8%) are the markets where interest is growing fastest among the main source countries, pointing to potential for last-minute booking conversions. On the domestic front, Málaga (+161.4%) and Palma (+157.3%) are the cities with the highest search volumes, although Ibiza shows lower growth in this regard (+56.8%).
The data shows that the impact of a show of the magnitude of Shakira’s residency has a quantifiable and massive effect on the aviation sector. “We are seeing triple-digit increases in both interest and ticket purchases. It is a phenomenon that particularly resonates with domestic travellers from the islands and with the European public, who are responding with enormous immediacy,” says Daniela Chovancová, PR Manager at Kiwi.com.
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*Kiwi.com data based on confirmed bookings and search requests with origin in Europe and Spain, destination Madrid, for the travel period between 16 September and 11 October 2026, compared to the same period in 2025, with data as of 31 August in both years.
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