Barcelona sets a new record for daily tourist expenditure in April

Tourism activity monitoring data for Destination Barcelona in April 2026 has been partly influenced by the timing of Easter. Unlike in 2025, when Easter fell entirely in April, this year it was split between late March and early April, making year-on-year comparisons of some demand indicators more difficult. Nevertheless, tourist expenditure continued to increase compared with the previous year, reaching new record levels for the month of April.

In the city of Barcelona, accommodation supply in hotels and guesthouses stood at 669 establishments and approximately 87,600 bed places, a level very similar to that recorded in April 2025. Considering hotels, guesthouses and homes for tourist use, tourism demand declined by -2.9% in terms of tourists; however, thanks to a slight increase in the average length of stay (from 2.7 to 2.8 nights), overnight stays remained quite stable (-0.1%). Occupancy levels also remained similar to those of the previous April, with hotels recording a bed-place occupancy rate of 72.1% (-0.3 pp Var. 26/25) and tourist apartments 67.6% (+0.7 pp Var. 26/25).

Passenger movements at Barcelona Airport reached a new record for the month of April, with 5.1 million passenger movements (+4.1% Var. 26/25). By contrast, at the port, where fewer operations were recorded than the previous year, passenger traffic declined both in cruise services (-16.4% Var. 26/25) and ferries (-10.7% Var. 26/25). Meanwhile, visitor numbers at ICUB cultural facilities increased slightly (+1.2% Var. 26/25).

The average age of tourists in the city of Barcelona¹ was 35.5 years, and the most common travel profile was couples (35.9%) travelling for leisure purposes (64.1%). International tourists, whose numbers fell by -4.2% year-on-year, accounted for 82.1% of all hotel guests, while residents of Spain, representing 17.9% of the total, increased by +23.1%.

Average expenditure reached €144.8 per person per day, increasing both compared with the previous year (+43.6%) and the previous month (+12.9%), thereby setting a new record for daily tourist spending in the city during the month of April. Food and beverage purchases remained the main expenditure category (46.9%).

Regarding the labour market, more new contracts were signed in April than in the previous year (+6.4%), around two-thirds of which were indefinite contracts. At the same time, unemployment fell by -1.0% year-on-year.

In Barcelona region, accommodation supply in hotels, guesthouses, campsites and rural tourism establishments exceeded 1,100 establishments and 100,000 bed places. Noteworthy is the reopening of a large number of campsites, which increased their capacity by +31.7% month-on-month.

In terms of tourism demand, the region maintained the number of tourists recorded in April 2025 (+0.3%), although it experienced a slight decline in the average length of stay (from 2.7 to 2.6 nights), resulting in overnight stays being -4.3% lower than the previous year. Campsites recorded the longest average stays (3.8 nights), followed by rural tourism establishments (2.7 nights).

Tourists visiting the region had an older average profile¹ (45.5 years old) and a higher share of domestic visitors (39.7%) than those visiting the city of Barcelona. Both domestic and international tourists increased year-on-year in the region (+5.7% and +4.5%, respectively). Leisure was also the main purpose of travel (6 out of every 10 tourists), and more than half travelled as a couple (55.8%).

Average expenditure during tourists’ stay reached almost €50 per day, representing a year-on-year increase of +19.8% and the highest figure ever recorded for the month of April in the region. Taking into account the figures for the city of Barcelona as well, Destination Barcelona recorded an average expenditure during the stay of €107.34.

¹ For more information on the profile and habits of tourists in April in Destination Barcelona, please consult the following link.

More information:

Summary of tourism activity in Destination Barcelona – April 2026

Tourism activity in Destination Barcelona interactive report