In the aisles of the Strasbourg Christmas market (north-east), crossed by an icy wind and the scent of mulled wine, discussions in Spanish mingle with those in French or German, which are more usual.
“It’s impressive, the colors of the houses, and how well done it is, the lights… I don’t think I’ve seen anything like it”marvels Rafael Mendicute, who came with his family from Hondarribia (Basque Country, northern Spain) and met by AFP near Strasbourg Cathedral.
This 66-year-old retiree from food distribution says he offered the trip to his daughter. “She really wanted to come to a Christmas market, and we said to ourselves: Come on, it’s time”.
“It’s like a Disney tale, full of light and colors”confides Asuncion Cuesta, a 66-year-old retiree from Madrid who she met with a friend near a local specialties stand.
The magic of the Christmas markets
“The gastronomy is also very good”she said, recounting having eaten in a brasserie and a winstub, a typical Alsatian restaurant.
“They are greedy, the Spaniards”testifies Olivier Klein, president of a traders’ association. “Clearly, they don’t need to be asked to taste it, and when they like it, they transform it and buy it. We also have a person on each chalet who speaks Spanish”explains this high-end butcher shop manager who runs two stands at the Christmas market.
Airlines enter the runway
If the Strasbourg Christmas market does not establish statistics by nationality, Strasbourg-Entzheim airport tells AFP it projects a much higher number of flights to and from Spain: nearly 20,000 passengers in November and December 2024, compared to 12,200 in 2023, 11,500 in 2022, 9,900 in 2021 and 4 200 in 2019.
The sharp increase in 2024 is due to the arrival of the low-cost airline easyJet on the Strasbourg-Barcelona line (two flights per week) and the strengthening of its competitor Volotea (three per week since the opening of the Christmas market then four from mid-December to early January), as well as Iberia (two per week).
In addition, there are five connections per week with Madrid, two with Malaga (Andalusia, south) and one with Lanzarote (Canary Islands).
This influx of Spanish nationals, “It’s really a dimension that is completely new, until now we were more focused on local tourism with a rather neighboring clientele”: French, Germans, Belgians, etc…, explains Véronique Siegel, director of the Monopole hotel in Strasbourg and national leader of the Union of Hospitality Trades (Umih).
“Spain is a country that has a strong tradition around Christmas too, so they are interested in discovering different traditions. L’Alsace naturally shines through its traditions around Christmas”she adds.
“The architecture of houses interests me a lot”confides for example Leomary Suriel, a 38-year-old doctor from Algeciras, in the far south of the Iberian Peninsula. This Dominican Republic native finds it “very different” of his countries of birth and adoption.
With her neighbors, young parents like her, they visited several Christmas markets: Kaysersberg, Eguisheim, Ribeauvillé… “With a little girl (…) it’s an essential destination”she confides.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8, a public holiday in Spain, also favors long weekend stays, as do the Three Kings festivities at the beginning of January, which are very popular in Spain.
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