Nearly half of the tourists visiting Barcelona region do so for professional purposes

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

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

Barcelona city

• Hotels and guesthouses accounted for 665 establishments and more than 87,500 operational beds, slightly under October and the previous year (-1.5% 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 (+5.6% YoY. 25/24) and overnights (+3.5% YoY. 25/24) even though the average length of stay was shorter (from 2.7 nights in 2024 to 2.6 nights in 2025).
• By type of accommodation, the average stay was 2.3 nights in hotel establishments and 3.3 in HTUs. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate was 62.6% in hotel establishments (+1.4pp YoY. 25/24) and 54.4% in HTUs (+2.2pp YoY. 25/24).
• At Barcelona Airport, there were around 4,25 million passenger movements, which led to an increase of 5.1% 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 277,000 cruise passenger movements, slightly under the previous month, and 70,000 ferry passenger movements, which represented a year-on-year decline in ferry activity (-6% YoY. 25/24), and cruises activity (-1,2% YoY. 25/24).
• In the monitored cultural facilities of the ICUB, the number of visitors decreased compared with the previous month but increased compared with the previous year (+11.1% YoY. 25/24). Most visitors were international (60.6%), although an increase was also observed in visitors living in the city (+29.4% YoY. 25/24) and the rest of Spain (31,4% YoY. 25/24).
• Regarding the origin of tourists staying in hotel establishments, the proportion of international visitors increased compared to the previous year (+9.7% YoY. 25/24). The ranking of tourists in this type of accommodation was led by residents of Spain (20.4% share), followed by those from the United States (12.8%), the United Kingdom (6.2%) and France (6.1%).
• The typical tourist in Barcelona¹ during this month was a 37-year-old traveller, most commonly visiting alone (34.2%), and visiting the city for the first time (53.8%). Leisure travellers accounted for 62.7% of the total, while those traveling for professional reasons ranked second, at 27.3%.
• The average expenditure during stays in the city decreased compared to the previous year (-5.6% YoY. 25/24) but was slightly higher compared to the previous month, going from €103.2 in October to €104.9 per person per day in November.
• Spending during the stay in the city was primarily allocated to food and beverages (44.7%), followed by entertainment, leisure and culture (20%), shopping (18%), and internal transport (13.4%).
• Regarding the labour market, new hiring in the core tourism sector decreased compared to both the previous month and the previous year (-8.7% YoY. 25/24). More than half of the new contracts were permanent, and registered unemployment in the tourism activities was the same as in the same period of 2024 (0% YoY. 25/24).

Barcelona region

• The operational supply of tourist accommodation in Barcelona region decreased interannually (-1.6% YoY. 25/24) and compared to last month, with 958 establishments and more than 52,000 operating bed places.
• Tourist demand also decreased month-on-month for both overnights stays and the number of tourists. Compared to 2024, there was a slight increase in tourists (+1.9% YoY. 25/24) and a decrease in overnight stays (-2.3% YoY. 25/24). The average stay went from 2.1 nights in 2024 to 2.0 nights in 2025).
• By type of accommodation, campsites had once again the lengthiest average stays (2.4 nights), followed rural tourism (2.1 nights) and by hotel establishments (1.9 nights).
• In terms of occupancy rate, campsites registered a 46.8% (+3.9pp YoY. 25/24) and rural tourism registered a 18.8% (+1pp YoY. 25/24).
• 50.3% of tourists staying in hotel establishments in Barcelona region were international, a slightly lower proportion than in the previous month (-9.1pp) and than in 2024 (-0.6pp YoY. 25/24).
• The typical tourist¹ in Barcelona region during this month was a 44-year-old individual who travelled for professional reasons (57.2%) and as part of a couple (33%).
• Average expenditure during the stay was set at €51.6, higher than last month (+3.1%) and than the previous year (+11.9% YoY 25/24). Taking into account the data for Barcelona city, the average expenditure in Destination Barcelona was €84.3 (+1.8% YoY. 25/24).
• The expenditure during the stay was mainly allocated to food and beverages (57.4%), internal transport (21.4%) and shopping (17.2%).
• Hiring in the tourism activity in Barcelona region increased 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 (-4.2% YoY. 25/24)

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

More information:

Summary of tourism activity in Destination Barcelona – November 2025

Tourism activity interactive report