Barcelona’s air capacity to increase by 12% year-on-year in summer

The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona updates the Destination Barcelona tourism forecast report as of 27/06/23.

Connectivity at the destination

• International air capacity: The worldwide flight air supply will reach a recovery of 100% compared to prepandemic levels in the upcoming 3 months.
• Flight offer at Barcelona Airport: Barcelona is currently served by 86 airlines flying to 192 destinations, of which 46 are intercontinental. Over the next few months, more than 5 million seats will be offered monthly, which is +11.9% more seats than last year and only -6.2% below pre-pandemic levels.
• Cruises at Port de Barcelona: around some 80 cruise ships are expected to arrive in Barcelona in July in Barcelona.

Agenda

• Culture and leisure events: Destination Barcelona will stand out in July for hosting a large number of musical events, including major music festivals such as Canet Rock or Cruïlla and remarkable concerts such as those of Iron Maiden, Harry Styles o The Weeknd. 
• Professional events and trade fairs: There are currently 96 congresses confirmed for the upcoming years, 64 of which in 2023. In the meanwhile, about 100 applications are open until 2027.

Interest for the destination

• Online search trends: Over last weeks, searches for Barcelona city have been, on average, at the same level of last year’s, while in Barcelona region they have been higher.
• Positioning of the destination in online searches: Over the last month, Destination Barcelona has ranked 5th in the ranking of international destinations for accommodation searches and 8th, for flights.
   

Accommodation demand forecast

• Seasonality and hotel bookings lead time: Over the last month, hotel bookings for Barcelona city have been, on the whole, higher than in the same period of 2022, while in Barcelona region they have remained at the same level. The lead time for bookings made in June has stood at 54.2 days in Barcelona city and 35.2 days in Barcelona region, so that it has remained very stable in both geographical areas.
• Origin and travel group: International bookings in June have exceeded domestic bookings in Barcelona city (70.5%), while in Barcelona region, domestic bookings have been the most frequent (61.0%). In Barcelona city, bookings from the United States (15.6%) were the most frequent international bookings, while those from France (11.0%) were the most frequent in the Barcelona region. Almost half of the bookings made were for travelling as a couple.
• Level of bookings: Currently, the level of bookings for the next quarter is above the level recorded last year in Barcelona city. In Barcelona region, however, only September records a higher level, while in July and August, bookings remain slightly lower than last year for the same periods. The US market in Barcelona city and the Spanish market in Barcelona region are the ones with the highest levels of bookings for this period.
• Benchmark: Barcelona city and Barcelona region are, respectively, in the first and the last position in the ranking of hotel bookings of European destinations analysed for stays during the next three months. The volume of bookings, the ADR, and the length of stay of bookings for Madrid are below of that of Barcelona city.

Destination Barcelona Tourism Forecast report (27/06/23)