• The most valued aspects of Destination Barcelona municipalities were the character and kindness of the local people (8.55), the weather (8.52), and public transport (8.44).
• The international tourists (8.72) and those who travelled for leisure reasons (8.69) are those who valued the best the Destination municipalities in general.
• 66.8% of residents in Barcelona city believed that tourism is rather beneficial for the city, while in Barcelona region, 84.6% for their county.
• The number of tourism companies grew by +4.6% in 2022 and represented 14.8% of the total business network of Destination Barcelona.
• In 2022, the number of Biosphere Responsible Tourism certified tourism companies, services and destinations stood at 879.

The OTB has released the third capsule of the 2022 Barcelona Tourism Activity Report with information on the tourists’ evaluation, the citizens’ opinion, the job market, and the sustainability in Destination Barcelona. The report provides data about the three geographical levels that the OTB covers: Barcelona city, Barcelona region, and Destination Barcelona.

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Tourists' evaluation

The tourists' general evaluation of Destination Barcelona municipalities has reached a score of 8.62 out of 10 in 2022. In Barcelona city, which has the highest score, the overall rating has been 8.74, while in Barcelona region, 8.44.

2 out of 3 aspects that are valued in the Destination have been rated over 8. The most valued aspects are the character and kindness of the local people (8.55), the weather (8.52), and the public transport (8.44). On the other hand, the aspect with a lower score keeps being the noise (7.22).

In Barcelona city, the best-considered attributes are maintained as the architecture (9.27) and the culture (8.97). The least valued aspects in this case are the noise (6.83) and the general cleanliness (7.59).

In Barcelona region, the character and kindness of people (8.67) remain in the first position, followed by the public safety (8.57), and the weather (8.56). However, the least valued aspects are the parking supply (7.26) and the quality of internet connection (7.73).

International tourists are the ones who gave the highest scores to the different aspects to be evaluated (8.72), while if the ratings are analysed according to the reason for the trip, those who came for holidays or leisure were the ones who gave the highest ratings (8.69).

Citizens' opinion

As for the citizens' opinion in relation to tourism, the percentatge of people that believed that tourism was rather beneficial was reduced in both geographical areas year-on-year: in Barcelona, 66.8% (-4.6pp YoY) considered that it tourism activity was rather beneficial for the city, while in Barcelona region, un 84.6% (-0,5pp YoY), for their region.

The economic contribution generated by tourist activity is the most positive attribute appreciated by residents in both geographical areas, while overcrowding, anti-social and bad behaviour, vandalism, and overtourism were some of the most frequently mentioned negative aspects.

Job market

The proportion of tourism in relation to other economic activities continued to be higher in Barcelona city (15.2% in number of companies and 12.5% in employment) than in Barcelona region (14.4% in number of companies and 10.3% in employment).

Both the number of companies and the number of people employed in tourism increased year-on-year in Destination Barcelona (+4.6% and +9.9%, respectively). The growth in number of companies was higher in Barcelona region (+5.0%) than in Barcelona city (+4.1%). However, Barcelona city recorded a +12.2%-increase in tourism employment, while in Barcelona region, which experienced a lower impact on tourism employment during the pandemic, the recorded growth was lower (+7.9%).

As for the hiring in the tourism activity core, since Spring, and thanks to the easing of restrictive measures to travel within Europe, there was a clear recovery. Thus, in Destination Barcelona, new hiring recorded a +51.9%-year-on-year growth.

On the other hand, registered unemployment fell so that, the unemployed people in tourism decreased by a third year-on-year. Noteworthy is the growth in indefinite contracts, due to the Spanish labour reform of 2022, which in the tourism activity of Destination Barcelona increased from 17.3% in 2021 to 48.0% in 2022.

Sustainability

For the third consecutive year, this IAT capsule includes the results of several indicators related to tourism sustainability in Destination Barcelona, which form part of the OTB's Sustainable Tourism Indicators System (SITS-OTB). These indicators respond to 3 areas of sustainability (environmental, socio-cultural and economic) and covers various issues such as: pollution, mobility, citizen satisfaction, public safety, the economic impact of tourism and the job market. Due to the cross-cutting nature of the issues that affect the sustainability of tourism activity, some of these indicators have already appeared in other chapters of this report. In the following OTB newsletter, you can consult the interpretation of the evolution of the indicators included in this capsule: The percentage of tourists who used public transport as a means of internal transport grew in 2022.

As for sustainability certifications, in 2022, 879 companies and services were certified in Biosphere Responsible Tourism, which means a 8.1%-year-on-year growth. By typology, accommodation companies gathered almost 1 out of 3 certificates. On the other hand, 6 destinations mantained their certification in Biosphere Responsible Tourism and another 48 were distinguished (10 over the previous year). Anoia was the region with more distinctions (9), followed by Baix Llobregat (8), Osona, and Vallès Oriental (7 in each case).

More information: Barcelona tourism activity report 2022 - Capsule 3