Increase in tourism demand and expenditure during February in Destination Barcelona

Tourism activity in the Destination Barcelona during February 2026 shows a positive trend in terms of demand and tourist spending, according to the latest update of the monthly monitoring data from the Barcelona Tourism Observatory.

In the Barcelona city, the supply of accommodation in hotels and guesthouses stood at 649 establishments and nearly 86,000 beds, remaining stable compared to the previous year. Taking into account hotels, guesthouses, and homes for tourist use, tourism demand grew by 11.9% in terms of tourists and 6.8% in overnight stays. Occupancy also increased, especially in tourist apartments, reaching 66.0% (+5.7 pp Var. 26/25).

Passenger movements in mobility infrastructures also recorded increases. Barcelona Airport reached 3.9 million passengers (+3.8% Barcelona Var. 26/25), while the port stood out for the strong year-on-year growth in cruise passengers (+18.3% YoY 26/25), despite the month-on-month decline due to the seasonality of cruise activity. In contrast, visitors to ICUB cultural facilities decreased by 9.8% year-on-year.

The tourist profile in Barcelona city ¹ was mainly that of a young person, with an average age of 35, traveling alone and for leisure. International tourists accounted for 77.4% of the total in hotel establishments, while residents in Spain, with a share of 22.6%, increased by 12.5% year-on-year.

Average spending increased by 7,7% year-on-year, up to €105.52 per person per day, with food and beverage purchases being the main expense. However, the tourism job market experienced a year-on-year decline in hiring of 5.4%, while unemployment remained stable.

In Barcelona region, the supply of accommodation in hotels, guesthouses, campsites, and rural tourism exceeded 900 establishments and 69,000 beds. A remarkable year-on-year increase of 42.3% in the number of beds in rural tourism establishments must be highlighted.

As for tourism demand, there was also an increase of 9.9% in tourists and 8.1% in overnight stays. Campsites recorded the longest stays (an average of 3.1 nights), while hotel establishments had the highest occupancy rates in terms of bed places (58.5%).

Tourists in the region showed an older tourist profile ¹ (average age of 43) and were more domestic (45.1%) than those in the Barcelona city. However, international tourists increased by 28.7% year-on-year in February in the region. On the other hand, 45.5% of tourists travelled for professional reasons, while leisure was the second main reason for travel at 40.6%.

Tourist spending during the stay reached nearly €60 per day, representing a year-on-year increase of 15.5%. In the job market, not only did hiring in tourism activity recover (+9.0%), but there was also a reduction in unemployment year-on-year (-4.4%).
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¹ For more information on the profile and habits of tourists during February in Destination Barcelona, please click on the following link.

More information:

Summary of tourism activity in Destination Barcelona – February 2025

Tourism activity in Destination Barcelona interactive report