The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona: city and region has released the second capsule of the 2024 Barcelona Tourism Activity Report, which contains four chapters with data on the tourists' sociodemographic profile, their origin, their travel characteristics, and their expense.

As usual, the report provides data about the three usual geographical levels that the OTB covers: Barcelona city, Barcelona region, and Destination Barcelona.

Tourist sociodemographic profile

According to the results of the Barcelona Destination Tourist Profile and Habits Survey 2024, in 2024, almost 2 out of every 3 tourists in Destination Barcelona were men and the average age was 39.3 years, increasing for the third consecutive year (+1.0 year-on-year). The majority of tourists in Destination Barcelona had a university education (67.7%) and were employed (64.4%).

Tourist origin

Domestic tourists continued to top the ranking of tourists’ origin, but they decreased by 6.1% year-on-year, and their market share was a 25.4% in Destination Barcelona, which meant -2.1pp (Var. 24/23). One more year, it should be noted that in the region its weight was greater than in the city (39.4% vs. 17.3%).

In contrast, international tourism grew by +4.8% (Var. 24/23), especially intercontinental tourists, which continued to grow above the average after the pandemic, particularly those from China (+41.4% Var. 24/23) and Japan (+35.4% Var. 24/23).

In the ranking of international tourists, tourists from the United States maintained their leadership for the second consecutive year in the Destination as a whole (10.9% share), experiencing a year-on-year growth of +12.9%. They were followed by residents of France (+1.4% Var. 24/23), which obtained a 7.7% share. The United Kingdom (+6.9% Var. 24/23) and Italy (+5.0% Var. 24/23) completed the top 5 markets of origin of tourists with shares of 6.9% and 5.0%, respectively. On the other hand, arrivals from the German market, in sixth position, decreased (4.9% share and -4.2% change 24/23).

In the chapter of the tourists’ origin, we also present the data on the nationality of cruise ship passengers and the origin of visitors to ICUB facilities. In both cases, international visitors were also the most frequent, being 87.0% and 69.3% of the total, respectively. In the first case, it should be noted that the American (20%) were again the most numerous, followed by the Italians (14%) and the Spanish (13%).

Travel characteristics

63.6% of tourists visiting Destination Barcelona did it for holidays or leisure reasons, 20.2% for professional reasons and 16.2% for personal and other reasons. The first reason decreased year-on-year (-3.0pp), to the detriment professional (+2.4pp) and personal reasons (+0.6pp).

The plane was once again the most common means of transport used to reach Barcelona city (80.8%), slightly behind the previous year (-1.6pp). In Barcelona region, where during the pandemic and up until the previous year, private cars or motorcycles had been the most common means of transportation, air travel returned to the first position, with 4 out of 10 travellers and an annual growth of +3.1 pp. The train remained in second place in Barcelona city (11.5% share), while in Barcelona region, the private vehicle was the most used mode of transport (38.2%).

The number of times tourists had previously visited Barcelona city decreased slightly compared to the previous year: in 2024, the average repeatability rate was 3.7 times, 1.2 times fewer than the previous year. In contrast, this average remained fairly stable in the Barcelona region, at 13.6 (+0.1 times Var. 24/23). However, the percentage of tourists who visited the municipality for the first time once again exceeded the 50% mark in both geographic areas.

Travelling as a couple continued to be the most frequent group of travel (42.6%), followed by travelling as a solo (26.6%), and travelling with family and relatives (25.9%).

During their stay, 3 out of 4 tourists travelled by non-polluting means of transport: The percentage of those who travelled most frequently on foot (52.8%) was once again the highest in the Destination as a whole. It is important to highlight the increase in walking trips in Barcelona city (+6.3 pp), which gained ground over the use of public transport, especially the metro. Despite this, the metro remained the second most used internal mode of transport in the municipality, with a 28.1% share (-3.7 pp Var. 24/23). In Barcelona region, the second most frequently used transport mode continued to be the car (15.7%), remaining quite stable compared to the previous year (-0.6 pp).

The most popular activities in the destination were cultural visits (62.2%), followed by shopping (58.2%), and going to the beach (56.4%). Moreover, 21.1% of tourists went on excursions from the municipality where they were staying. This proportion remained higher in Barcelona region (39.2%) than in Barcelona city (8.8%). The average number of excursions among those who took at least one remained stable at 1.6.

Tourism expenditure

In 2024, all the average expenditure categories analysed again increased compared to the previous year in Destination Barcelona as a whole. Although it is necessary to frame these increases within a context of inflation both globally and in the province of Barcelona, with a +2.9% increase in the CPI from January to December 2024, these increases were above that rate. For example, the cost of arrival transportation increased by +4.5% year-on-year, and the cost of accommodation per person per day rose by +9.9%.

The cost of tourist packages, for those who travelled with two or more combined products, was over €1,300 per person, representing an increase of +13.3% compared to the previous year.

Finally, spending during the stay per person per night also increased across the entire Destination (+8.5% change 24/23), with Barcelona city having higher spending at nearly €100 (+8.7% Var. 24/23), compared to Barcelona region, with €47.16 (+12.5% Var. 24/23). Across the entire Destination, this daily spending per person was primarily allocated to food and drink purchases (50.0% of the total). Spending on clothing, footwear, souvenirs, personal effects, and other items (17.9%) took second place, followed by spending on entertainment, leisure, and culture (17.6%).

More information:

• Key figures
• 2024 Individuals Tables of Tourist Profile and Habits in Destination Barcelona
• 2024 Barcelona Tourism Activity Report – Capsule 2