In July 2022, the tourist activity in Destination Barcelona maintained its pace of growth, which was initiated in February, thanks to an increase in accommodation offer, a growth in air and port capacity, and the inherent seasonality of tourism.

In July, the tourist accommodation supply in Destination Barcelona grew again (+3.0%), adding over +5,000 new available beds, and the global capacity stood at only -0.6% behind the same period in 2019.

Tourism demand in July was once again higher than in the previous month, with more than 1 million tourists in Barcelona city (+12.6% MoM) and almost 700,000 in Barcelona region (+18.2% MoM). It is worth noting that, in Barcelona region, the level of tourists achieved in 2019 was exceeded by +5.9%, although overnight stays remained -4.4% lower in both cases.

On the other hand, average stays in all types of accommodation increased compared to the previous month, with the exception of dwellings for tourist use in Barcelona city. The occupancy rate in places also increased in all cases, even above 2019, in Barcelona region.

The steady reopening of air routes and its consequent increase in air capacity led Barcelona Airport to receive more than 4,4 million passengers (+9.0% MoM), which meant almost 83% of the levels reached in June 2019.

In contrast, in Barcelona Port, while the number of cruise ship operations grew by +6.3% MoM, the number of passengers in this means of transport increased by +48.3% MoM. As for ferry passengers, they experienced a significant increase again (+66.8%), which meant +28.7% on the same period in 2019.

The cultural facilities in Barcelona city registered around 230,000 visitors (+16.6% MoM), 3 out of 4 of which were international, slightly increasing their proportion compared to June, while international tourism also maintained the first position in the ranking of tourists in hotel establishments in both Destination Barcelona (73.6%) and Barcelona city (82,9%).

At Barcelona Airport, the proportion of passengers on domestic flights (28.2%) kept stable. Despite being far from the domestic flight passengers, those travelling from Italy (9.6%) achieved the second position, followed by those from the UK (8.7%), France (7.3%), and Germany (7.3%).

On the other hand, the expenditure during the stay per person and day in the whole of the Destination stood at 61.0€, almost -14€ less than in the previous month, but +2.1% on the same period in 2019.

Finally, the tourism activity job market experienced a slight decline in July: registered unemployment, despite being below pre-pandemic levels (-15.4%), grew by +2.0% MoM, while the number of contracts signed fell by -10.0% MoM. However, it should be noted that, new indefinite contracts slightly outnumbered temporary ones.

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With the analysis of the different thematic areas, which offer a transversal vision of the sector, the Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona updates the monitoring of the tourism activity. This analysis complements the monthly report on the Profile and Habits of Tourists in Barcelona Destination. All data is presented in three geographical areas: Barcelona city, Barcelona region, and Destination Barcelona.

Consult the interactive report: