Permanent contracts remain ahead in new hiring in July

The Barcelona Tourism Observatory: city and region, presents the monthly analysis of the main tourism activity monitoring indicators.

The main conclusions of the July update are presented below by geographical area:

Barcelona city

• Hotels and guesthouses accounted for 677 establishments and more than 87.000 operational beds, slightly above both June and the previous year (+0,7% Var. 25/24).
• Demand for hotels, guesthouses and Homes for Tourist Use (HTUs) increased compared to the previous month in both tourists and overnights. If compared interannually, the number of tourists increased (+5,9% Var. 25/24) but the average length of stay was shorter (from 2,9 nights in 2024 to 2,8 nights in 2025), which led the number of overnight stays to grow at a lower rate (+0,8% Var. 25/24).
• By type of accommodation, the average stay was 2,5 nights in hotel establishments and 3,5 in HTUs. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate decreased to 75,5% in hotel establishments (-0,9pp Var 25/24) and increased to 67,6% in HTUs (+2,3pp Var. 25/24).
• At Barcelona Airport, there were around 5,5 million passenger movements (+2,9% Var 25/24). The ranking of countries from which passengers flew to Barcelona Airport was led by Spain, followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
• At the Port of Barcelona there were about 453.000 cruise passenger movements, slightly above the previous month, and 271.000 ferry passenger movements, which represented a year-on-year increase in activity for ferries (+4,2% Var. 25/24), while cruises remained stable compared to the previous year (+0,0% Var. 25/24).
• The typical tourist in Barcelona¹ during this month was a 35-year-old traveler, most commonly visiting as a couple (35,4%). Those who traveled for leisure accounted for more than 3 out of 4 travelers (+6,4pp interannually), while those who traveled for personal reasons came in second place, at 15,1%.
• The average expenditure during the stay in the city shrank compared to both the previous year (-6,3% Var. 25/24) and the previous month, going from 103€ in June to 99€ per person per day in July.
• Spending during the stay in the city was primarily allocated to food and beverages (44,7%), followed by entertainment, leisure and culture (22,6%) and shopping (19,6%).
• Regarding the labor market, new hiring in the core tourism sector decreased both compared to the previous month and year-on-year (-16,6% Var. 25/24). Close to 6 out of 10 were permanent contracts, and the registered unemployment in the tourism activity was lower than the same period in 2024 (-1,8% Var. 25/24).

Barcelona region

• The operational supply of tourist accommodation in Barcelona region increased interannually (+2,0% Var. 25/24) and month-to-month (+1,7%), with 1171 establishments and close to 100.000 operating bedplaces.
• Tourist demand also increased month-on-month for both tourists (+11,4%) and overnight stays (+20,4%). Compared to 2024, there was an increase in tourists (+8,0% Var. 25/24) and overnight stays (+3,1% Var. 25/24), and the average length of stay also slightly decreased (from 3,6 nights in 2024 to 3,4 nights in 2025).
• By type of accommodation, campsites had once again the lengthiest average stays (4,4 nights), followed by rural tourism (3,4 nights) and hotel establishments (3,1 nights). In terms of occupancy rate, hotel establishments registered a 73,9% in bedplaces (+1,7pp Var. 25/24), campsites registered a 60,9% (+1,5pp Var. 25/24) and rural tourism registered a 33,9% (-0,3pp Var. 25/24).
• 68,0% of tourists in hotel establishments in Barcelona region were international, a higher proportion than in the previous month (+6,0pp).
• The typical tourist in Barcelona region during this month¹ was a 44-year-old individual who traveled for leisure (60,2%) and as a couple (45,6%).
• Average expenditure during the stay was set at 48,2€, slightly higher than in the month of June (+1,1%) and the previous year (+4,1% Var. 25/24). Taking into account the data for Barcelona city, the average expenditure in Destination Barcelona was 77,0€ (-5,8% Var. 25/24).
• The expenditure during the stay was mainly allocated to food and beverages (60,8%), shopping (17,5%) and internal transportation (10,7%).
• Hiring in the tourism activity in Barcelona region increased year-on-year (+3,6% Var. 25/24). 57,7% of new contracts were permanent and the registered unemployment decreased by 3,2% year-on-year.

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¹ For more information on the profile and habits of tourists during February in Destination Barcelona, please click on the following link.

More information:

Summary of tourism activity in Destination Barcelona – July 2025

Tourism activity interactive report