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Tourism in Barcelona - statistics & facts

Barcelona’s main tourist attractions, a place for every type of visitor, key insights.

Detailed statistics

Number of overnight visitors in Barcelona 2018-2022, by accommodation type

Tourist tax in Barcelona 2023, by accommodation type

Tourism employment in Barcelona 2021, by industry

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Current statistics on this topic.

Museums & Galleries

Most visited tourist attractions in Barcelona 2022

Accommodation

Most common origin countries among foreign hotel guests in Barcelona 2023

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Regional overview.

• Premium Statistic Quarterly trade, transport & lodging GDP in Catalonia 2017-2022
• Premium Statistic Employment in tourism in Catalonia 2010-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of trips made by local travelers in Catalonia 2015-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of domestic trips to Catalonia 2015-2022
• Premium Statistic International tourism volume in Catalonia 2000-2022
• Premium Statistic Spanish cities with the largest number of international hotel guests 2022
• Premium Statistic Spanish tourist destinations with the highest hotel investments 2022

Quarterly trade, transport & lodging GDP in Catalonia 2017-2022

Contribution of the trade, transport, and accommodation industries to the gross domestic product in Catalonia, Spain from 1st quarter 2017 to 4th quarter 2022 (in billion euros)

Employment in tourism in Catalonia 2010-2022

Number of employees in hospitality and travel agencies in Catalonia, Spain from 2010 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Number of trips made by local travelers in Catalonia 2015-2022

Number of trips taken by local tourists in Catalonia, Spain from 2015 to 2022 (in millions)

Number of domestic trips to Catalonia 2015-2022

Number of trips to Catalonia taken by domestic tourists in Spain from 2015 to 2022 (in millions)

International tourism volume in Catalonia 2000-2022

Number of international tourists in Catalonia, Spain from 2000 to 2022 (in millions)

Spanish cities with the largest number of international hotel guests 2022

Most visited cities by international overnight tourists in Spain in 2022 (in 1,000s)

Spanish tourist destinations with the highest hotel investments 2022

Leading hotel markets in Spain 2022, based on capital invested (in million euros)

Tourism volume

• Basic Statistic Leading European city tourism destinations 2019-2022, by number of bed nights
• Premium Statistic Number of hotel guests in Barcelona 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Most common origin countries among foreign hotel guests in Barcelona 2023
• Premium Statistic Passenger traffic at El Prat Airport 2000-2022
• Premium Statistic Cruise passenger traffic at Barcelona's port 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Ferry passenger traffic at Barcelona's port 2000-2022
• Premium Statistic Main means of travel for tourists in Barcelona 2017-2023
• Premium Statistic Opinions on tourism as the main problem in Barcelona 2006-2023

Leading European city tourism destinations 2019-2022, by number of bed nights

Leading city tourism destinations in Europe from 2019 to 2022, by number of bed nights (in millions)

Number of hotel guests in Barcelona 1990-2022

Number of tourists in hotels in Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Leading countries of origin among international tourists who stayed at hotels in Barcelona, Spain in 2023 (in 1,000s)

Passenger traffic at El Prat Airport 2000-2022

Number of air passengers at the Barcelona-El Prat Airport, Spain from 2000 to 2022 (in millions)

Cruise passenger traffic at Barcelona's port 1990-2022

Number of cruise passengers in the Port of Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Ferry passenger traffic at Barcelona's port 2000-2022

Number of ferry passengers at the Port of Barcelona, Spain from 2000 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Main means of travel for tourists in Barcelona 2017-2023

Distribution of tourists in Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2023, by means of transport

Opinions on tourism as the main problem in Barcelona 2006-2023

Share of population in Barcelona, Spain who considered tourism to be the main problem of the city from 2006 to 2023

Visitor profile

• Premium Statistic Number of overnight visitors in Barcelona 2018-2022, by accommodation type
• Premium Statistic Tourists in Barcelona 2000-2023, by travel reason
• Premium Statistic Per capita spend of visitors in Barcelona 2022, by type of expense
• Premium Statistic Main tourist activities in Barcelona 2023
• Premium Statistic Most visited tourist attractions in Barcelona 2022
• Premium Statistic Most popular types of websites for planning travels to Barcelona 2021

Number of tourists in commercial accommodation establishments in Barcelona, Spain from 2018 to 2022, by type (in 1,000s)

Tourists in Barcelona 2000-2023, by travel reason

Distribution of tourists in Barcelona, Spain from 2000 to 2023, by travel purpose

Per capita spend of visitors in Barcelona 2022, by type of expense

Average expenditure of tourists in Barcelona, Spain in 2022, by category (in euros)

Main tourist activities in Barcelona 2023

Most popular activities among tourists in Barcelona, Spain in 2023

Leading tourist attractions in Barcelona, Spain in 2022, based on number of visitors (in 1,000s)

Most popular types of websites for planning travels to Barcelona 2021

Most used online platforms to plan a trip to Barcelona, Spain in 2021

Hotel market

• Premium Statistic Number of hotels in Barcelona 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Number of hotels in Barcelona 2022, by star category
• Basic Statistic Leading hotels in Barcelona 2023, by traveler ratings
• Premium Statistic Hotel capacity in Barcelona 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Hotel overnights in Barcelona 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Hotel bed occupancy in Barcelona 1990-2022
• Premium Statistic Monthly ADR of hotel establishments in Barcelona 2021-2022
• Premium Statistic Tourist tax in Barcelona 2023, by accommodation type

Number of hotels in Barcelona 1990-2022

Number of hotel establishments in Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2022

Number of hotels in Barcelona 2022, by star category

Number of hotel establishments open in Barcelona, Spain as of December 2022, by star rating

Leading hotels in Barcelona 2023, by traveler ratings

Best-rated hotels in Barcelona, Spain in 2023, based on traveler scores

Hotel capacity in Barcelona 1990-2022

Number of hotel rooms in Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2022

Hotel overnights in Barcelona 1990-2022

Number of overnight stays in hotels in Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2022 (in 1,000s)

Hotel bed occupancy in Barcelona 1990-2022

Bed occupancy rate of hotels in Barcelona, Spain from 1990 to 2022

Monthly ADR of hotel establishments in Barcelona 2021-2022

Average daily rate of hotels and hostels in Barcelona, Spain from January 2021 to December 2022 (in euros)

Tourist tax in Barcelona, Spain as of April 2023, by type of accommodation (in euros per person and night)

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Studies and statistics

Turisme de Barcelona monitors tourism in the city, compiling data about supply and demand, visitor profiles, ratings and opinions in reports and publications. 

More information about Barcelona Workation, here

Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona: city and region

The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona (OTB): city and region is the working platform that gathers statistical data and markets intelligence about tourism in Barcelona, its counties and regions.

Tourist activity data

We present the latest statistical reports drawn up by Turisme de Barcelona.

Here you can check the indicators compilled since 1989 with the aim of providing a greater insight into tourism activity in Barcelona.

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Links of interest

Historic archive.

Browse Turisme de Barcelona’s data archive which brings together data from our own and external sources dating back to 1989.

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Barcelona Metropolis

Tourism, between wealth and residents’ complaints

Marga Pont is a journalist and editorial coordinator of the magazine Barcelona Metropolis.

© Astrid Ortiz

Barcelona receives more than 12 million visitors per year for both business and pleasure, who stay in the city for an average of 2.5 nights. The tourism sector is one of the main drivers of economic activity in Barcelona, with 150,000 direct and indirect jobs. It generates 8.6% of the city’s employment and is the fourth-greatest wealth-creation activity, accounting for 7.3% of the GDP. Barcelona is the location of one out of every three tourism companies in Catalonia and almost four out of every six jobs and it collects more than half the revenue from the tourist tax in all of Catalonia.

Tourists truly enjoy the city and half of them return. Most local residents relate tourism with wealth, but complaints about the problems involved are also growing: 59.9% of Barcelona’s local residents think that this city has reached the limit of its capacity and the districts with the most visitors, Ciutat Vella and Gràcia, want less of them.

A foreign man about 37 years old flies into El Prat Airport to spend about five days in the city after organising a holiday trip by its own. This is the majority profile of the tourist in Barcelona, according to data from the study Perfil i hàbits dels turistes a la ciutat de Barcelona 2017 [Tourist Profile and Habits in the City of Barcelona 2017], issued by the Barcelona Tourism Observatory. According to the same survey, 86% of the hotel tourists came from outside Spain and more than half (52.11%) came from a country in Europe, while 34% came from elsewhere in the world.

Barcelona is one of the most important tourism and business travel destinations in the world. In 2018, the city had over 12 million tourists and 30 million overnight stays in in hotels, hostels, tourist apartments and housing used for tourism (HUT). Two out of every three tourists stay in hotels. In the last 30 years, the demand for hotel accommodation has increased fivefold and has gone from 1.7 million tourists in 1990 to 9.1 million in 2018, and from 3.8 million overnight stays to 19.3. This demand has not stopped growing every year, except for two dips. The first came in 2008, with the beginning of the financial crisis, and the second in 2017, when Barcelona suffered the attack on the Rambla in August and witnessed the events of 1st October. Remarkably, hotels and housing used for tourism amount to 85.5% of the accommodation available. While the former receive 19.3 million overnight stays, the latter get more than 8.5 million, though with many less tourists, since stays in HUT are longer (up to 3.75 nights on average compared to 2.1 nights at hotels).

According to the Housing Census of 2018, Barcelona has 152,046 vacancies in a total of 10,486 places of accommodation. Over 38% (38.5%) of the vacancies are in housing used for tourism and 47% are located in hotels and hotel-apartments. The Eixample district has 37% of all tourist accommodation vacancies (56,326), and together with Ciutat Vella (27,436) has over half (55.1%) the available vacancies in the city. Sant Martí and Sants-Montjuïc also have a significant amount of vacancies and together account for one fourth of those in the city, while Nou Barris and Sant Andreu have little in the way of vacancies available.

PROFILE OF THE TOURIST VISITING BARCELONA, HOW THEY GET HERE, WHERE THEY COME FROM AND WHERE THEY STAY

AVERAGE SPENDING OF VISITOR TO BARCELONA (2018) Source: Profile and Habits of Tourists to the City of Barcelona 2017 . Barcelona City Council.

THE THREE MOST VISITED LANDMARKS IN BARCELONA (2017) Source: Barcelona Institute of Culture.

DEMAND FOR ACCOMMODATION (2018)

ACCOMMODATION SUPPLY (2018)

EVOLUTION OF THE DEMAND FOR HOTEL BEDS

TRAVELLERS ARRIVING IN BARCELONA (2018)

NUMBER OF TRAVELLERS ARRIVING IN BARCELONA (2018) in Millions  (Change compared to 2017)  

ORIGIN OF PASSENGERS ARRIVING IN EL PRAT AIRPORT (2018) in Million

First in international cruises and conferences

Barcelona is near the top of many international rankings. In 2017, it was the sixth most visited city in Europe and the 23rd most visited among 100 cities in the world, according to the Top Cities Destination Ranking by Euromonitor International. The European Cities Marketing Benchmarking Report 2016/2017 ranked Barcelona fifth in Europe in terms of international overnight stays, while Trip Advisor rated it the sixth most attractive destination in the world for tourists in 2017. Also in 2017, Barcelona’s 2.7 million cruise ship passengers enabled it to hold on to its spot as the top cruise ship port based in Europe and the Mediterranean and the fourth greatest in the world. With 47.3 million travellers, Barcelona’s airport, El Prat Josep Tarradellas, had the seventh most travellers and grew the second most (7.1%) in Europe, according to the Airport Traffic Report of 2017.

Barcelona is also a leader in business meetings and broke records in 2018. According to the Barcelona Convention Bureau, the economic impact of Barcelona’s conferences and conventions rose from 1.851 billion euros in 2017 to over 1.901 billion in 2018. The city hosted 1,728 meetings (including conferences, seminars and conventions) that involved 2,393,252 overnight stays, or 7.4% more than the year before and up to 15% for conferences. For the first time, the representatives’ average stay was almost five days.

According to the ranking of the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA), Barcelona is the only city that is not a country capital and has still ranked among the top five in the number of international conferences in the last 19 years. Even though it dropped from the first to the fourth position in terms of the number of international conferences hosted (163), this year it was the top city in the world regarding the number of representatives attending those conferences (135,000).

INDICATORS OF CONGRESS ACTIVITY (2018)

A lot of work at low pay

The tourism sector generates 8.6% of the employment in the city of Barcelona and is the activity responsible for the fourth most wealth creation, accounting for 7.3% of the city’s GDP. By the end of 2018, there were 96,257 people affiliated with social security, after creating 20,000 jobs in just six years. Salaried jobs make up 87.5% of this total, followed by 12.7% self-employed jobs. If we consider a broader definition of the sector, including the transport of passengers, the organisation of conferences, artistic activities or some sporting activities with a significant impact on tourism, the number of jobs approaches 150,000. There have been 30.9% more jobs in the last 10 years, a period in which the city has grown 7.9% in job creation. At the end of 2018, the tourism sector included 8,754 companies with salaried workers, accounting for 11.5% of those in the city. Barcelona is the location of 36.7% of the tourism jobs in Catalonia, which is 3% more than the city’s total share of employment in Catalonia (33.3%). Barcelona is also the location of 29.3% of the companies with Catalan wage earners dedicated to tourism.

In 2018, the hotel industry was the second largest economic sector in Barcelona with the highest employment contract volume in the city, with a total of 216,453 contracts, accounting for 16.7% of the total. Of these employment contracts, 16.1% were indefinite and 83.9% were temporary. Broken down by subsector of activity, the highest volume of employment contracts was for food and beverage services (60.1%), followed by accommodation services (32.6%) and travel agencies and tour operators (7.2%). The average annual salary in the hospitality industry stood at 16,708 euros in 2017, which is just over half the average salary in the city (30,263 euros), making it the sector with the lowest wage level and one of those that have experienced the biggest loss of purchasing power since 2010. However, the hospitality industry is one of the sectors with the narrowest gender pay gap, with a difference between men and women (12.3%) almost 10% lower than the average in Barcelona (21.8%).

In 2018, there were 8,946 unemployed people from the tourist sector in Barcelona, which reported a 7% drop, while the city fell by 6%. Despite creating net employment, in recent years the sector has revealed a less favourable trend in reported unemployment than Barcelona as a whole. Since 2012, unemployment in the hospitality industry has cumulatively decreased by 20% and has fallen by 38.2% in the city in the same period. This is partly due to the strong seasonal orientation of the sector and the influx into the tourism sector of unemployed people from other industries looking for better employment prospects.

IMPORTANCE OF THE TOURISM SECTOR TO BARCELONA’S ECONOMY (2018)

VOLUME OF CONTRACTS RELATED TO TOURIST ACTIVITIES PER SUBSECTOR (2018)

STRUCTURE OF THE TOURISM SECTOR PER SUBSECTOR (2018)

Tourism and the city: benefits and criticism

Tourist activity produces diverse impacts and assessments for the different actors involved, both among those actively participating in it (the tourists) and those receiving it, meaning the residents of Barcelona. Tourists give it a score of 8.8 points to the city and almost half (46.8%) repeat the experience, according to the study Perfil i hàbits dels turistes a la ciutat de Barcelona 2017 [Tourist Profile and Habits in the City of Barcelona 2017]. The five best aspects of the city are its architecture (9.26), its culture (8.91), its entertainment (8.61), its public transport (8.51) and the character and kindness of its people (8.47).

The Online Reputation Index (iRON), issued by the Tourism Laboratory of Barcelona Provincial Council, awarded its best grade (8.91) in 2017 to the city’s attractions, while accommodation (8.24) and food and drink (8.13) scored lower, but always above 8. Regarding the most popular places, Sagrada Família is the most frequently visited monument in the city, taking in 4.52 million tourists, followed by Park Güell, with 3.12 million, and the Barça Museum, with 1.84 million visitors.

In the local people’s perceptions, the relationship between tourism and wealth is rooted in the idea of Barcelona. According to the Barcelona Tourism Observatory’s study Percepció del turisme a Barcelona 2017 [Perception of Tourism in Barcelona 2017], 57.5% of the people surveyed in 2009 already spontaneously associated both elements, reaching 70.3% in 2017. Over four out of five (83.1%) local residents believe that tourism is beneficial, and three out of every four Barcelonans cites tourism as the sector of the economy that provides the most wealth. Nevertheless, there is an observable trend to be increasingly critical of tourism and the benefits that it represents. The high opinion of tourism has fallen since 2012, when it attained the highest score, with 96.1% of the people feeling that it was beneficial for the city. While the 35.2% of the population now thinks that Barcelona must continue to attract tourists, the 59.9% believe that it has reached the limit of its capacity (and this figure rises to 68.6% among residents of tourist districts). Only people of foreign nationality and residents of Nou Barris have an opinion split almost equally between both options. The rest of the population and the region thinks that Barcelona has reached the limit of its capacity with respect to the services that it can offer to tourists. Only 17.1% of Barcelonans would like to see more tourists in their neighbourhood and 65.8% think that there are enough already.

The effect of tourism on prices is one of the reasons why respondents believe that tourism harms Barcelona. Eight out of 10 respondents think that visitors drive up prices in Barcelona, especially in the restoration and rental of homes. The Barri Gòtic and Sant Pere, Santa Caterina, the Ribera and Vila de Gràcia are the districts that most clearly see this rise in prices due to tourism (around 80%), while in Nou Barris the percentage has fallen by 15%.

Compared to 2016, the perception of tourist behaviour has worsened. Half of the people surveyed say that tourist behaviour is good or very good, whereas 14.5% say that it is bad or very bad. This negative view reaches 38.6% in the Barceloneta district. Complaints about bad behaviour have to do with antisocial or rude behaviour (66.1%, which is 10% more than in 2016) and with drunkenness (16.7%, which is 12% less than in 2016).

LEVEL OF COMFORT WITH THE NUMBER OF TOURISTS IN BARCELONA (2017)

PERCEPTION OF TOURIST ACCOMMODATION IN ONE’S OWN NEIGHBOURHOOD (2017) (% of people who believe the amount of accommodation in their neighbourhood is excessive: hotels, hostels, tourist-licensed properties, etc.)

The challenges of tourism management

The assessment of municipal management of tourism in the city has worsened every year since 2013. While in 2013 almost three out of every four people rated it positively (74.7%), in 2017 this number fell to 40.8%. The least happy residents by district are those living in Barceloneta. Their main complaints focus on the mismanagement of tourist apartments (20.5%) and poor management in general (18.3%).

In 2018, the city raised more than half its revenue from the tax on stays in tourist establishments throughout Catalonia. In the 2017-2018 period the figure reached 56.5 million euros, of which 30.65 million were collected by establishments of the Barcelona brand. Hotels are the main contributor to income tax (19.8 million euros), followed by housing used for tourism (HUT) (8.2 million euros). Hotel revenue has fallen by one million euros and the amount from tourist homes has increased by two million, which is mainly due to the increase in the rate from 0.65 to 2.25 euros per person per night in these establishments in 2017. Barcelona’s cruise ships provide 1.2 million euros, and youth hostels 900,000 euros.

The tourist tax is a tool for promoting sustainable quality tourism and for protecting, preserving, recovering and improving tourist resources. For two years, Barcelona City Council has managed half this tax while the city received 34% until 2016. Between 2015 and 2019, more than 22 million euros levied from the tax on tourist establishments (IEET) have been allocated to projects for improving spaces and services for all residents for the purpose of offsetting the negative effects of tourism in the city.

In 2018, 9.6 millions euros were earmarked for the fight against illegal accommodation, district-improvement projects, cultural offering enhancement and other activities. This line of action has been bolstered by the expansion in 2017 and 2018 of regular bus lines coming from and going to the city’s beaches (D20, V15 and 59), the Pla de Convivència in Ciutat Vella, the Pla de Places de Gràcia and the civic agent service for regulating high traffic spaces such as the Sagrada Família and Ciutat Vella or the spider web, which serves to track data to the network and is one of the pillars to detect establishments that do not have a license.

Since 2016, the number of ads for unlicensed tourist use has fallen from 5,875 to 272, and 4,900 apartments have been ordered closed. The year 2018 ended with 95% less illegal tourist apartments in Barcelona. Since the launch of the shock plan in 2015, according to data from March 2019, municipal teams have evaluated 17,000 homes advertised on 140 different websites.

With these and other measures, the Strategic Tourism Plan 2020 (approved in 2015) is being launched to address such a complex phenomenon, with its multiple challenges. The plan aims to respond to it to ensure sustainability and reconcile the interests of the different actors involved: local residents, tourists and professionals from the sector.

TOURIST TAX COLLECTION (2018)

TOURIST TAX COLLECTION (2018) Source: Generalitat de Catalunya.

MAIN SOURCES LEVYING TOURIST TAX (2018) Source: Generalitat de Catalunya.

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Destination barcelona records a 12.4% year-on-year increase in spending during the stay in january 2023.

The latest tourism activity data in Destination Barcelona have been updated

In  January 2023 ,  tourism activity in Destination  continued to approach pre-pandemic levels, despite decreasing due to the tourism seasonal nature of the activity.

Below are the  key indicators  of January :

• The number of tourist accommodation establishments decreased   in the Destination as a whole (-6.9%), yet bed places kept virtually stable (-0,8%). Thus, an average of  130,000 beds were available  in January, which is +4.0% ahead of   the same period in 2019.
• Tourists and overnight stays also fell  month-on-month due to seasonality in Destination Barcelona. Although this was more evident in Barcelona region than in Barcelona city, overnight stays in Barcelona region were higher than in the same period of 2019 (+6.8%), while in Barcelona city, slightly lower (-0.5%). All types of establishment experienced month-on-month decreases in overnight stays to a lesser or greater extent, but it should be noted that, with the exception of the hotel establishments in Barcelona city, all of them exceeded pre-pandemic figures .
• The  average length of stay remained stable at 2.4 nights  compared to December and grew by +0.1 nights compared to the same period of 2019 in Destination Barcelona. In Barcelona city, the length of stay was longer than in Barcelona region (2.9 nights vs. 2.1 nights).
• At  Barcelona Airport , more   than 3.3 million passengers were registered, but seasonality made that  demand was reduced by -6.8%, so air traffic recovery remained  over 90%  compared to the same period in 2019. Meanwhile in Port of Barcelona, cruise and ferry passengers also experienced a month-on-month decrease . However, in the first case, this meant only -1.3% behind January 2019, and in the second case, +12.6% ahead.
• The ICUB's cultural facilities , which remained close to -20.0% of pre-pandemic activity , also received fewer visitors than the previous month (-1.7%), but they maintained the proportion of international visitors of 6 out of 10 .
• International tourism  continued to be the  most numerous  in both Destination Barcelona (72.6%) and Barcelona city (72.6%). In the latter, the French (7.8%) were the internationals who registered the most arrivals, followed by the Italians (7.4%) and the Americans (5.8%).
• At  Barcelona Airport , the passengers arriving on  domestic flights  (29.0%) remained in first place of the ranking of passengers by country of origin. Passengers from Italy (10.5%) followed by the United Kingdom (8.1%) and France (7.1%), remained the second in the ranking. 
• The  average expenditure during the stay  in the Destination was  €67.0 , almost €6 below the previous month. By territorial area,  Barcelona region  recorded a -21.9% month-on-month fall  in spending, while the expense in  Barcelona city was virtually the same . The item on which the most money was spent was  food and drink , followed by entertainment, leisure and culture. In any case, it is worth noting that the Destination as a whole registered a +12.4% year-on-year growth  in spending. Food and drink was the most popular item, followed by the purchase of clothing, footwear, souvenirs and personal effects, which regained second place.
• As for the  job market ,  registered unemployment  in tourism activity remained  below pre-pandemic levels  (-22.7%) and  permanent contracts  (52.8%) once again exceeded temporary contracts in Destination Barcelona as a whole.

_________________________________________

With the analysis of the different  thematic areas , which offer a  transversal vision  of the sector, the  Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona  updates the monitoring of the tourism activity. This analysis complements the  monthly report on the Profile and Habits of Tourists in Barcelona Destination . All data is presented in  three geographical areas :  Barcelona city ,  Barcelona region , and  Destination Barcelona .

Consult the interactive report:

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The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona: city and region has published its report on the results of the Survey on the profile and habits of tourists visiting Destination Barcelona during 2023

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The OTB presents the monthly report on the Profile and Habits of Tourists in Destination Barcelona

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The latest tourism activity data in Destination Barcelona have been updated - February 2024 edition

The pain in Spain: Where are Brits not so welcome this summer?

• Friday 19 April 2024 at 7:33pm

Tourists are facing a backlash from residents in Tenerife as islanders say they are struggling to cope with the influx of visitors, ITV News Europe Editor James Mates reports

Spain is one of the most popular destinations for British tourists, but the country is feeling the backlash of the cheap flights and sunny climes as large numbers of visitors are causing big problems.

A number of provinces have taken matters into their own hands and are providing guidance - and in some case strict rules - for tourists visiting over the summer, as they try and tackle overcrowding and the problems that come with it.

Tourism represents nearly 12% of Spain’s economy but there has been growing pressure from locals for governments to put measures in place to reduce the number of visitors.

So which parts of Spain might not be so keen for Brits to descend this summer?

Canary Islands

Protestors in Tenerife started a hunger strike on April 12 as part of a wider campaign demanding the Canary Islands government tackle the effects of excess tourism in the region.

Hundreds of people linked arms to form a human chain to demonstrate against the building of an additional hotel and beach resort, as well as future projects aimed at attracting more tourists. The hunger strike was still underway on Wednesday at the time of writing.

The wider movement is called Canarias Se Agota, which means 'The Canaries Have Had Enough'.

In an Instagram post the organisation said the Canary Islands are "exhausted" because of the "excessive tourism" and the "lack of attention to the basic needs of the population".

Last year the then-mayor of Barcelona described tourism as a "great challenge" for the city, and suggested there needed to be a way to limit the number of people pouring in during holiday season.

Ada Colau limited the number of hotel beds in the city during her tenure, highlighting that the city needs homes so there is space for residents to live in the busy centre.

Her successor, Jaume Collboni, banned cruise ships from docking at the Muelle Barcelona Norte and the World Trade Centre docks, a mile away from the Gothic quarter, in October.

Now cruises must dock at the Moll d’Adossat pier, which is a 30-minute bus ride from the historic centre.

Meanwhile one neighbourhood went as far as to get a local bus route removed from Google and Apple Maps to discourage tourists from using it as it was often too busy for residents to fit onboard.

“We laughed at the idea at first,” a local activist, César Sánchez, told the Guardian. “But we’re amazed that the measure has been so effective.”

Wider Catalonia region

Barcelona is the largest city in the Catalonia region, but authorities for the entire area are considering imposing water restrictions on tourists if domestic consumption does not decrease.

The Catalan government is considering a restriction of 100 litres of water per day per tourist for hotels for three months as it looks to tackle drought in the area.

According to Barcelona’s hotel guild, the average tourist to Barcelona in 2022 used some 163 litres per day, while the figure rose to over 240 litres for luxury hotels.

The limits for tourists would not include the water used to fill swimming pools.

Majorca has introduced a series of new rules over the last couple of years that aren't explicitly preventing tourists from enjoying the island, but do seek to weed out "drunken tourism".

A number of restaurants banned shirtless, costumed or football-shirt-wearing travellers, according to Juan Miguel Ferrer, the chief executive of Palma Beach.

Swimwear, trunks and novelty accessories bought from roadside vendors - such as gold chains - are also said to be banned.

"Since May 10, we’ve been suffering the arrival of large groups of tourists who are only looking to get drunk in the streets, or on the seafront or even on the beach,” Mr Ferrer said in 2022.

“You’re not going to come here in beach clothes or come straight from drinking in the streets."

Alicante introduced new noise-related restrictions in 2023 in response to influxes of tourists causing disruption for locals.

Rules had originally been put in place in 2019, but they were strengthened last year. The array of noises encompassed by the regulations include open air concerts, use of musical instruments on beaches, and shouting.

The local city council warned of hefty fines for anybody flouting the rules.

Money matters and passport pains

Post-Brexit, Brits are subject to the 'third states' rules Spain imposes on visitors from outside the European Union.

A traveller visiting Spain must "present proof of having sufficient financial means for the proposed stay", or at least the ability to legally obtain that money, according to the Spanish foreign ministry.

In 2023, the minimum amount required was $120 (£97) per person per day, and the traveller had to have at least $1100 (£885) or its equivalent in foreign currency regardless of the length of the stay.

Travellers can show they have enough money by presenting cash, travellers' cheques, a credit card with a bank account statement, an up-to-date bank book or similar. The ministry states that bank letters or online bank statements are not accepted.

Brits flying abroad are also being warned about post-Brexit passport rules , which have landed travellers with hefty fines.

Some families are finding themselves thousands of pounds out of pocket when they have been banned from boarding flights due to the rule changes.

When the UK was a member of the EU, British passports remained valid up to and including their expiry date for travel to other EU countries, but now passports need to be valid for valid for at least three months after the date you intend to leave the EU country you are visiting.

More details of the post-Brexit rules on passports can be found on the ITV News website .

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Barcelona bus route removed from map apps to tackle tourist overcrowding

Residents welcome removal of number 116 route, often used to get to Park Güell

While some places will go to any lengths to attract visitors, residents of La Salut neighbourhood in Barcelona are celebrating a move to wipe themselves off the map.

For years, residents had complained that they could not get home because the number 116 bus was always crammed with tourists visiting Antoni Gaudí’s Park Güell. The park is the city’s second most popular attraction after the Sagrada Familia basilica.

Now they have the bus to themselves after the city council arranged to have the route removed from Google and Apple maps.

“We laughed at the idea at first,” said César Sánchez, a local activist. “But we’re amazed that the measure has been so effective.”

Luz López, 75, told elDiario.es: “Before, the bus was so full even people with walking sticks couldn’t get on.”

Albert Batlle, the deputy mayor of security and coexistence on the city council, said that as well as improving mobility around Park Güell, “we needed to eliminate references to the 116 on the internet”.

Batlle declined to admit or deny that the council had asked for the route to be removed, while a Google spokesperson would only say they would not delete a bus route unless requested to do so by the council.

Sánchez, who has been campaigning for eight years for the council to address the problem, joked: “The next thing we need to do is to get the whole of Park Güell removed from Google Maps.”

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