• For the first time in Barcelona city, the American were the ones who stayed the most overnight in hotels (12.0%), followed by the domestic tourists (11.8%). In Destination Barcelona, ​​the Spanish were the ones that led the overnight stays ranking (18.3%), followed by the British (8.9%).
• The American have also been the most among cruise passengers in Barcelona Port (18%), followed by Germans (17%).
• 42.2% of tourists in Destination Barcelona have traveled as a couple and the average age has been 39.3 years. The plane continues to be the most used means of transport to reach Destination Barcelona (69.8%).
• Almost the half repeat their visit in Barcelona city and Destination Barcelona (48.0%).
• The average expense during the stay in Destination Barcelona has been € 69.9 per person and night.
• In 2019, VAT reimbursement to non-EU residents has increased by 19.8% year-on-year.

The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona: city and region has released the second capsule of the 2019 Barcelona Tourism Activity Report, which provides data about the three geographical levels that the OTB covers: Barcelona city, Barcelona region and Destination Barcelona. This capsule contains two chapters with data on the profile and expense of tourists.

Almost 7 out of 10 visit Destination Barcelona for leisure reasons, 2 for professional reasons and 1 for other reasons. 6 out of 10 are men and the average age is 39.3 years, although, in Barcelona city, it is slightly lower (37.1 years).

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The plane is the most used means of transport to reach Destination Barcelona (69.8%). However, it should be noted that this is due to the high weight of tourists from Barcelona city, who choose this kind of transport in 81.2% of cases, while in Barcelona region, the private vehicle is the most chosen (40.8%).

The percentage of repeaters stands at 48.0% in both, Barcelona city and Barcelona region.

As for the people they travel with, 4 out of 10 tourists of Destination Barcelona travel as a couple, followed by those who travel alone (25.5%) and those who travel with friends (14.5%).

The Spanish were the ones that stayed the most overnight in hotels in Destination Barcelona (24.7%), although in Barcelona city, they were the American (12.0 %).

In the Port of Barcelona, ​​the most numerous cruise passengers have been again, the American (18%), followed by the Germans (17%). Noteworthy is that the British have dropped from the third to the sixth position in this ranking, with a loss of -4pp and they now represent 10% of cruise passengers.

The transport expense has slightly decreased, standing at € 355.9 in Barcelona city and € 215.6 in Barcelona region. On the contrary, accommodation expenses, expenses during the stay and the tourist packages have increased. Those who spend the most in all categories are American, who on average spend more than € 2,000 for a tourist package, € 1,000 over the average.

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Concerning the expenses during the stay, food and drink is the item in which the most money is invested in Destination Barcelona (46.5% person per night), followed by the shopping for clothes, footwear, and personal effects (20.2%).

Finally, the refund of the VAT to non-EU residents has kept increasing and, in 2019, Global Blue, Planet Tax Free, Travel Tax Free and Innova Tax Free have reimbursed 8.7 million euros, which means a growth of +19.8% year-on-year.

By nationalities, of the Global Blue transactions carried out by Turisme de Barcelona, ​​Chinese residents are those who have made a higher expense and have experienced a higher growth (11.5 million euros and +53.1%). However, it is important to take into account that on January 2019 it the minimum purchase for being able to get the refund was canceled.

Related links:

2019 Barcelona Tourism Activity Report. Capsule 2