The city’s cultural facilities experience an increase in visitors compared to the previous year, especially those from Spain

The Barcelona Tourism Observatory: city and region, presents the monthly analysis of the main tourism activity monitoring indicators.

The main conclusions of the July update are presented below by geographical area:

Barcelona city

• Hotels and guesthouses accounted for 663 establishments and more than 87.000 operational beds, slightly under June and above the previous year (+0,5% Var. 25/24).
• Demand for hotels, guesthouses and Homes for Tourist Use (HTUs) decreased compared to the previous month in tourists but increased in overnights. If compared interannually, the number of tourists increased (+7,5% Var. 25/24) but the average length of stay was shorter (from 2,8 nights in 2024 to 2,6 nights in 2025), which led the number of overnight stays to grow at a lower rate (+0,8% Var. 25/24).
• By type of accommodation, the average stay was 2,6 nights in hotel establishments and 4 in HTUs. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate was 79,1% in hotel establishments (+0,3pp Var 25/24) and 74,8% in HTUs (+0,6pp Var. 25/24).
• At Barcelona Airport, there were around 5,67 million passenger movements, which led to an increase of 4,7% compared to last year. The ranking of countries from which passengers flew to Barcelona Airport was led by Spain, followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
• At the Port of Barcelona there were about 488.500 cruise passenger movements, slightly above the previous month, and 413.000 ferry passenger movements, which represented a year-on-year increase in activity for ferries (+5,9% Var. 25/24), and cruises (+06,8% Var. 25/24).
• In the monitored cultural facilities of the ICUB, there was a slight increase in the number of visitors compared to previous months, with a year-on-year increase of +23,4%. However, it is worth noting that the proportion of international visitors increased compared to the previous year, while the number of visitors from Barcelona province (-23,1% Var. 25/24) and the rest of Catalonia declined (-12,7% Var. 25/24).
• Regarding the origin of tourists staying in hotel establishments, the proportion of international visitors increased compared to the previous month, reaching 88% (+5,2pp). The ranking of tourists in this type of accommodation was led by residents of the United States (14% share), followed by those from Spain (12%), France (10.2%), and the United Kingdom (7.8%).
• The typical tourist in Barcelona¹ during this month was a 34-year-old traveller, most commonly visiting as a part of a couple (35,4%). Leisure travellers accounted for 82.1% of the total (+4,9pp YoY), while those traveling for personal reasons ranked second, at 11,3%.
• The average expenditure during the stay in the city increased compared to both the previous year (-7,4% Var. 25/24) and the previous month, rising from €99 in July to €101 per person per day in August.
• Spending during the stay in the city was primarily allocated to food and beverages (45,4%), followed by entertainment, leisure and culture (23,2%) and shopping (19,3%).
• Regarding the labour market, new hiring in the core tourism sector decreased both compared to the previous month and year-on-year (-14,6% Var. 25/24). More than half of the new contracts were permanent, and registered unemployment in the tourism activity was lower than in the same period of 2024 (-1,6% Var. 25/24).

Barcelona region

• The operational supply of tourist accommodation in Barcelona region increased interannually (+1,4% Var. 25/24) but slightly decrease compared to last month, with 1.155 establishments and close to 100.000 operating bed places.

• Tourist demand also increased month-on-month for both tourists (+4%) and overnight stays (+9,4%). Compared to 2024, there was an increase in tourists (+9% Var. 25/24) while overnight stays remained stable (-0,1% Var. 25/24), and the average length of stay also slightly decreased from 3,9 nights in 2024 to 3,6 nights in 2025.
• By type of accommodation, campsites had once again the lengthiest average stays (4,7 nights), followed by rural tourism (4,6 nights) and hotel establishments (3,2 nights). In terms of occupancy rate, hotel establishments registered a 76,3% in bed places (-2,2pp Var. 25/24), campsites registered a 65,4% (+0,8pp Var. 25/24) and rural tourism registered a 46,9% (-0,8pp Var. 25/24).
• 67,5% of tourists staying in hotel establishments in Barcelona region were international, a slightly lower proportion than in the previous month (-0,5pp).
• The typical tourist¹ in Barcelona region during this month was a 44-year-old individual who travelled for leisure (71,2%) and as a part of a couple (60,8%).
• Average expenditure during the stay was set at €40,7, lower than both in the month of June (-15,5%) and the previous year (-6,9% YoY 25/24). Taking into account the data for Barcelona city, the average expenditure in Destination Barcelona was €75,6 (-5,8% Var. 25/24).
• The expenditure during the stay was mainly allocated to food and beverages (63,5%), shopping (17,3%) and entertainment, leisure and culture (9,6%).
• Hiring in the tourism activity in Barcelona region decreased year-on-year (-4,7% YoY. 25/24). Almost two out of three new contracts were permanent and the registered unemployment decreased by 3,1% year-on-year.

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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 – August 2025

Tourism activity interactive report