Nearly half of the tourists visiting Barcelona in September had already been to the city before

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

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

Barcelona city

• Hotels and guesthouses accounted for 672 establishments and more than 88.000 operational beds, slightly over August and above the previous year (+0,6% YoY. 25/24).
• Demand for hotels, guesthouses and Homes for Tourist Use (HTUs) decreased compared to the previous month in terms of both tourists and overnight stays. If compared interannually, there was an increase in the number of tourists (+10,3% YoY. 25/24) and overnights (+2% YoY. 25/24) even though the average length of stay was shorter (from 2,9 nights in 2024 to 2,7 nights in 2025).
• By type of accommodation, the average stay was 2,4 nights in hotel establishments and 3,6 in HTUs. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate was 70,1% in hotel establishments (+0,6pp YoY. 25/24) and 63,5% in HTUs (+0pp YoY. 25/24).
• At Barcelona Airport, there were around 5,28 million passenger movements, which led to an increase of 4,3% 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 443.000 cruise passenger movements, slightly above the previous month, and 184.500 ferry passenger movements, which represented a year-on-year increase in activity for ferries (+6,2% YoY. 25/24), and cruises (+4,2% YoY. 25/24).
• In the monitored cultural facilities of the ICUB, there was a slight decrease in the number of visitors compared to previous months, with a year-on-year increase of +3,1%. The majority of visitors were international (68%), although an increase was observed in visitors residing in the city (+21,9% YoY.25/24).
• Regarding the origin of tourists staying in hotel establishments, the proportion of international visitors decreased compared to the previous month in -3,5pp. The ranking of tourists in this type of accommodation was led by residents of the United States (17,4% share), followed by those from Spain (15,6%), the United Kingdom (6,7%) and France (5,6%).
• The typical tourist in Barcelona¹ during this month was a 38-year-old traveller, most commonly visiting as a part of a couple (36,3%), and visiting the city for the first time (51,1%). Leisure travellers accounted for 52,6% of the total, while those traveling for professional reasons ranked second, at 31,4%.
• The average expenditure during stays in the city slight decreased compared to the previous year (-0,8% YoY. 25/24) but increased compared to the previous month, rising from €101 in August to €105 per person per day in September.
• Spending during the stay in the city was primarily allocated to food and beverages (47%), followed by shopping (18,9%), entertainment, leisure and culture (18,3%) and internal transport (15,1%).
• Regarding the labour market, new hiring in the core tourism sector increased compared to the previous month but decreased year-on-year (-8,1% YoY. 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 (-1,8% YoY. 25/24).

Barcelona region

• The operational supply of tourist accommodation in Barcelona region decreased interannually (-2,2% YoY. 25/24) and compared to last month, with 1.105 establishments and close to 95.000 operating bed places.
• Tourist demand also decreased month-on-month for both tourists (-20%) and overnight stays (-22%). Compared to 2024, there was a slight decrease in tourists (-1,4% YoY. 25/24) while overnight stays increased (+2,3% YoY. 25/24), which led to an increase in the average stay (from 3,3 nights in 2024 to 3,4 nights in 2025).
• By type of accommodation, campsites had once again the lengthiest average stays (5,2 nights), followed by hotel establishments (3, nights) and rural tourism (2,3 nights). In terms of occupancy rate, campsites registered a 63,3% (-11,2pp YoY. 25/24) and rural tourism registered a 23,2% (-23,7pp YoY. 25/24).
• 66% of tourists staying in hotel establishments in Barcelona region were international, a slightly lower proportion than in the previous month (-1,5pp) and higher than 2024 (+0,6pp YoY.25/24).
• The typical tourist¹ in Barcelona region during this month was a 47-year-old individual who travelled for leisure (58,7%) and as a part of a couple (51%).
• Average expenditure during the stay was set at €52, higher than last month (+27,7%) but lower than the previous year (-6,4% YoY 25/24). Taking into account the data for Barcelona city, the average expenditure in Destination Barcelona was €84,5 (+2,5% YoY. 25/24).
• The expenditure during the stay was mainly allocated to food and beverages (56,9%), shopping (20,8%) and internal transport (9,9%).
• Hiring in the tourism activity in Barcelona region increased year-on-year (+4,5% YoY. 25/24). Almost two out of three new contracts were permanent and the registered unemployment decreased by 0,5% year-on-year.

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1 For more information on the profile and habits of tourists during September in Destination Barcelona, please click on the following link.

More information:

Summary of tourism activity in Destination Barcelona – September 2025

Tourism activity interactive report