€84.4, the highest average expense during the stay per person and night in the last 5 years

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

 

Sociodemographic profile

• Tourist profile: The typical tourist profile who has visited the city of Barcelona in 2022 is that of a man (63.8%), with an average age of 33.6 years, with university studies (73.3%) and working as a salaried employee (63.8%).
• Origin: Although the international market has led the ranking of origin of tourists in Barcelona city (82.1%), we can still see how its market share remains lower than in the years before the pandemic (-3.9pp Var.22/19). Noteworthy that Italy, France and the United Kingdom are the three international countries with the most visitors to the Barcelona city.

 

Characteristics of the stay

• Average stay: In Barcelona city, ​​the average stay was 4.8 days, data very similar to those of the last 5 years.
• Accommodation typology: As in previous years, more than half of tourists have stayed in a hotel (55.3%), especially in four-star hotels (46.2%), followed by private homes (with friends, relatives) (14.8%) and Homes for Tourist Use (HTUs) (13.7%) and youth hostels (13.7%).

 

Reason and characteristics of the travel

• Travel purpose: Leisure continues to be, once again, the reason for the majority of tourists who come to the city of Barcelona (70.4%). On the other hand, it should be noted that professional travelers (17.3%), despite losing market share compared to the pre-pandemic years, regain the second position in terms of reason for travel lost during the pandemic years.
• Repeatability: After two years marked by mobility restrictions due to Covid-19, in 2022 there has been a 27.0% increase in the number of tourists visiting for the first time the city of Barcelona (49.4%), thus reaching a profile very similar to the one we had in the pre-pandemic years (-1.9pp Var.22/19).
• Travel group and accompanying persons: Almost 70% of the visitors does it accompanied, mostly as a couple (37.6%) or with friends (17.8%). The average of these groups was 3.0.

 

Travel planning

• Alternative destinations: Although more and more tourists are considering alternative destinations when planning their trip, 63.0% of tourists still do not consider any alternative destination to Barcelona city.
• Information sources: The majority of these tourists continue to be guided both by the information they find on websites (60.9%) and by the information provided by their friends and family (32.8%).
• Transport of arrival: The plane has positioned itself as the most used form of transport to reach Barcelona city (62.8%), recovering the market share, it had in the pre-pandemic years. Tourists who arrive by private vehicle (11.7%) and by train (5.1%) follow it.
• Hiring channel: The purchase of arrival transport has been carried out, once again, mostly through the company’s website (67.7%), while the hiring of accommodation has mainly been carried out through OTAs (online travel agencies) (61.8%), thus confirming the change in trend that began in 2020.
• Anticipation of the reservation: Although tourists who visit Barcelona city no longer contract their trip with as little notice as in the pandemic years, 27.1% continue to do it during the last week or the last day before travel.

 

Expense

• Average expense: The average expense of the whole trip per tourist in 2022 has been the highest in the last 5 years with a value of € 1037.2: € 361.3 in round trip transport, € 305.6 in accommodation – € 68.5 per person per day – and € 370.3 in other expenses – € 84.4 per person and night -. Noteworthy that American tourist continue to allocate a higher average expenditure than the rest.
• Breakdown of Expenses: Tourists continue to spend, once again, almost half of their expense during the stay on food and drink and distributing the rest, in that order, on entertainment, shopping and internal transport.

 

Carried out activities and main internal transport

• Places visited: Tourists who visit the city of Barcelona continue to mostly visit, one year more, the Rambles (85.0%), Catalonia Square / Passeig de Gracia (84.7%), the Sagrada Família (83.6%) the coastal front (79.8%) and the Gothic Distrcit (73.5%).
• Activities undertaken: As in previous years, going to restaurants (96.1%), taking quiet walks to relax (90.0%) and making cultural visits (79.2) are the activities most carried out by tourists during their stay in the city of Barcelona.
• Internal transport: 60.4% of tourists have chosen to travel by metro within the city, 52.2% on foot, 31.7% by taxi and 28.5% by bus, being on foot and metro the main means of transport in 38.9% and 33.5% of cases respectively.

 

Excursions

• Excursions made: 9.6% have made an excursion outside the city, with Destination Barcelona being the main destination of these excursions (7.6%).
• Excursion transport: The local rail network train (38.4%) and the private car (19.5%) are, once again, the means of transport most used to make these excursions.
• Reason for the excursion: Visiting for tourism (75.8%) and visiting friends and family (10.4%) are the main reasons to carry out these excursions.

 

Other aspects of the Destination

• Evaluation of the municipality: The tourist who visits Barcelona city is mainly attracted by the architecture (9.3), by the culture (9.0), by the entertainment (8.6) and by the public transport (8.6) and continues to value the city as a whole very positively (8.7).
• Safety in the city: 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 locations and transport being the main scenarios of these criminal acts.
• Sustainability: 33.1% of tourists who visit Barcelona city would be willing to pay an extra cost of more than 10% for a sustainable service
• European destination: 33.0% of tourists who visit Barcelona city have spent the night in another European destination during their trip.

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The Profile and Habits of Tourists in Barcelona city 2022 has been undertaken thanks to 3.986 surveys to visitors aged 18 and over that stayed overnight in the city of Barcelona in the months of January to December 2022 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: Report on Profile and Habits of Tourists in Barcelona city 2022