The main conclusions of this report are presented below, according to the different sections that correspond to the specific objectives of the study.

• The plane has repositioned again as the most used means of transport to reach the Barcelona city (82.4%) and the hotel as the preferred accommodation for tourists (54.1%).
• The average of times that tourists had been before at the destination municipality slightly increased compared to the previous year (4.9 times).
• Most tourists visited the city as a couple (37.6%) and for leisure and vacation reasons (69.1%).
• As in the previous year, the purchase of the arrival transport was made mainly through the company's website (68.9%) and the hiring of accommodation, through OTAs (online travel agencies) (59.8%).
• All types of tourist expenses have increased with respect to the last 5 years, reaching a total value of the average expense of €1,095.0 per person.
• During their stay, tourists mainly travelled on foot (38.4%) and by metro (31.8%), the most visited place has been Las Rambles (81.4%), the most popular activity was going to restaurants (95.7%) and they value ​​their stay in the city with a 8.6.
• 29.7% of tourists have spent some night or plan to spend some night in another European destination during their trip.
• 59.0% have chosen to eat in a Spanish cuisine restaurant during their stay.

 

Sociodemographic profile

The typical tourist profile who has visited Barcelona city in 2023 is that of a man (65.4%), with an average age of 35.0 years, of international origin (85.1%), with university studies (73.0%) and working as a salaried employee (64.9%).

The international market has led the ranking of origin of tourists to Barcelona city reaching a market share quite similar than the years before to the pandemic (85.1% 2023 vs 86.0% 2018-2019). Noteworthy that Italy, the United Kingdom and France are the international countries with the most visitors to the city of Barcelona.

 

Characteristics of the stay

As in previous years, more than half of the tourists have stayed in a hotel (54.1%), especially in four-star hotels (47.4%), followed by Homes for Tourist Use (HTUs) (15.3%), private homes (with friends, relatives) (15.0%) and youth hostels (12.6%). The average stay in Barcelona city in 2023 is 4.7 nights, lower than in the last 5 years.

 

Reason and characteristics of the travel

69.1% have visited the city of Barcelona for vacation or leisure, 18.9% for professional reasons and 12.0% for personal and other reasons. Among the professional travelers who have attended a professional event, those who have done so to attend a congress or conference stand out (63.5%).

Information and communication (20.6%), health activities and social services (15.7%) and manufacturing industries (14.0%) are the three main sectors of activity of the professionals who visited the city of Barcelona.

Once again, the number of tourists who had previously visited the city decreased slightly with respect to the previous year, reaching values similar to those of the pre-pandemic years. These repeat visitors have visited the city an average of 4.9 times in the last 10 years.

In terms of travel group, travel as a couple continued to be the most frequent group of travel (37.6%), followed by who traveled alone (30.5%) and with friends (15.6%).

 

Travel planning

59.0% of tourists are guided by the information they find on websites, 31.2% by the information provided by their friends and relatives and 22.5% have consulted a social network or blog to plan their visit to Barcelona. On the other hand, the purchase of the arrival transport was made mainly through the company's website (68.9%) and the hiring of accommodation, through OTAs (online travel agencies) (59.8%).

In 2023, the plane has been once again the most used means of transport to reach the destination (82.4%), followed by the train (9.9%).

 

Expense

In 2023, the average expense of the whole trip per tourist has increased again compared to previous years, reaching a value of €1,095.0: €382.0 in round trip transport, €353.1 in accommodation - €84.2 per person per day - and €359.9 in other expenses - €91.7 per person per night-.

Once again, tourists continue to spend almost half of their expense during the stay on food and drink and distribute the rest, in that order, on entertainment, shopping and internal transport.

 

Carried out activities and main internal transport

Tourists who visit the city of Barcelona continue to mostly visit, one year more, the Rambles (81.4%), the Catalonia Square / Passeig de Gracia (80.7%), the Sagrada Família (78.6%) the coastal front (77.4%) and the Gothic District (70.5%).

The most popular activities in the destination have been going to restaurants (95.7%), making cultural visits (76.9%), going to the beach (65.3%) and shopping (62.2%).

During their stay, 59.1% of tourists moved around the city by metro, followed by those who traveled on foot (50.2%), by taxi (32.6%) or by bus (32.1%). As in previous years, the main form of tourist travel has been on foot and by metro in 38.8% and 31.8 of cases, respectively.

 

Excursions

9.2% of tourists have made an excursion outside the city, with Destination Barcelona being the main destination of these excursions (7.5%). These excursions continue to be made mainly by local train (39.6%), by private car (17.1%) and by bus (10.0%) and are intended for sightseeing (69.1%) and visiting to friends and family (10.0%).

Finally, it should be noted that the average expense of these excursions has been €42.8 per person, a decrease of €4.1 compared to 2022.

 

Other aspects of the city

16.5% of the city's tourists have used some a tourist product during their stay.

Tourists who have visited Barcelona city are mainly attracted by the architecture (9.3), by the entertainment (9.0), by the culture (8.6) and by the public transport (8.6) and values ​​the whole of this city very positively (8.7).

Only 2.6% of tourists report having been the victim of a crime or attempted crime during their stay in the city of Barcelona, with, once again, outdoor areas and transport being the main scenarios of these criminal acts.

27.8% of tourists who have visited us would be willing to pay an extra cost of more than 10% for a sustainable service.

On the other hand, 29.7% of tourists who have visited the Barcelona city have spent some night or plan to spend some night in another European destination during their trip, with Madrid, Paris, Rome, London and Lisbon standing out among these destinations.

Finally, 45.1% of tourists have previously looked for places they will go to eat during their stay, highlighting in their final choice of gastronomy a Spanish cuisine restaurant (59.0%), a Catalan cuisine restaurant (44.7%) or a bar or coffee shops (42.5%).

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The Profile and Habits of Tourists in Barcelona city 2023 has been undertaken thanks to 4.000 surveys to visitors aged 18 and over that stayed overnight in the city of Barcelona in the months of January to December 2023 in any type of accommodation other than a second home or a cruise, with the aim of getting to know better the profile and habits of travelers during their stay in the city.

 

More information:

• Individuals Tables of Tourist Profile and Habits in Destination Barcelona 2023
• Profile and habits of tourists in Barcelona city results report 2023