The OTB has updated the results of 7 indicators* of the Sustainable Tourism Indicator System, an action that is carried out periodically depending on the availability of data. This update is added to that of some twenty indicators as of May.

In this occasion, the latest figures for 2022 have been added for 3 environmental, 2 economic and 2 socio-cultural indicators, the majority of which have improved or maintained their previous results.

Environmental indicators

The increase in awareness in the area of sustainability and responsible tourism management by tourism institutions and companies has led to an improvement in I12: Percentage of tourism companies with sustainability certifications. In 2022, this percentage has grown in both Barcelona city and Barcelona region, achieving 23.9% and 38.2% of certified businesses, respectively. As a result, 3 out ouf each 10 Destination Barcelona's companies are already certified.

In the area of resource consumption, water consumption per capita (I06) in Barcelona city has grown (+5.5% Var. 22/21), but a small reduction in consumption in Barcelona region (-0.7% Var. 22/21) has neutralised the growth in water consumption in Destination Barcelona as a whole, which has remained at very similar levels to the previous year (+0.9% Var. 22/21). At the same time, I05: Waste generated per capita, has experienced the same behaviour at a territorial level as water consumption, although the final result has been translated into an improvement of the indicator with a slight reduction in the total waste per person in Destination Barcelona as a whole (-1.7% Var. 22/21).

Economic indicators

The reactivation of tourism in 2022 has been reflected in the seasonality indicator, I14: Ratio between the maximum and minimum number of monthly overnight stays in accommodation in Barcelona city, which stood at 3.0. This means that the month with the fewest overnight stays in the city recorded a third of the overnight stays of the month with the highest number, whereas the previous year this indicator stood at practically 4.0. By geographical area, seasonality has been more pronounced in the Barcelona region, with a ratio of 4.6 in 2022.

The average stay (I19) in Barcelona city, 4.0 nights, remained stable compared to the previous year. In Barcelona region, the average registered stay was slightly lower: 3.8 nights.

Socio-cultural indicators

In 2022, Barcelona city doubled the tourist pressure recorded the previous year, with 9 tourists per 100 residents, while in Barcelona region, the result for this indicator was considerably lower, with 2.5 tourists per 100.

Finally, the governance indicator I22: Percentage of good governance instruments of the destination's management entities, has maintained the same result as the previous year. These instruments, defined by the United Nations, include the existence of promotional campaigns for participation, the existence of regulations to prevent discrimination, the availability of accessible tourism statistics (open data), the existence of mechanisms for receiving complaints and suggestions and the use of new technologies in the management of the destination, among others.

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* The following indicators have been updated: I05, I06, I12, I14, I19, I21, and I22.

More information: SITS-OTB results