The number of passengers at Spanish airports rose 11% in the first half of the year over the previous year, airport operator Aena reported Friday, as the country's tourism industry continues to break records.

Some 144 million passengers transited the country's airports, all operated by Aena, up from 130 million a year earlier, Aena said in a statement.

According to the data, the upward trend in tourism after the pandemic remains strong in Spain.

Spanish airports handled a record 283 million passengers in 2023 and the company expects the figure to reach 300 million by 2025.

The number of foreign tourists visiting Spain increased by 1% in 2023 to 85 million, also a record high.

However, mass tourism in Spain is generating increasing discontent among Spanish residents in hot spots such as Barcelona, Malaga and the Balearic Islands, where the influx of tourists has driven up the cost of housing.

(Reporting by Joao Manuel Mauricio in Gdansk; edited by Inti Landauro; edited in Spanish by Javi West Larrañaga)