March will kick off with the celebration of Carnival in several municipalities of Destination Barcelona

The Barcelona Tourism Observatory: city and region publishes a new report on the Destination Barcelona tourism activity forecast for March.

Below are the main conclusions of this new edition of the report:

• Air capacity in Barcelona for February is estimated to be 5.2 million seats (+6.7% year-on-year).
• The Port of Barcelona is expected to receive around thirty cruise ships this month, slightly more than in the same period of 2024.
• The Destination Barcelona will experience a March full of sporting events: the Barcelona Marathon, the Volta a Catalunya cycling race, and several football matches at the Olympic Stadium. In music, highlights include the start of the Barcelona Obertura festival and various concerts at the Palau Sant Jordi, such as Maluma‘s. This same venue will also host several Cirque du Soleil performances once again. In terms of culture and traditions, notable events include Carnival celebrations in different municipalities, such as Vilanova i la Geltrú and Sitges, and various fairs and festivals across the region, such as the Xató Festival in Vilafranca.
• About thirty congresses have been confirmed in March, with an expected attendance of almost 125,000 people. The most significant event in the Destination during this month will be the Mobile World Congress (04/03-06/03), which could attract more than 100,000 people.
• In March, several European markets, such as France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Belgium, will have mid-term school holidays. Canada, Argentina, and Singapore will also have school holidays during this month.
• In recent weeks, Google searches for Barcelona city have shown an upward trend, although slightly below the same period last year. Among the most popular searches in the last quarter, we continue to find terms like “Barcelona” (also in French), “Sagrada Familia”, and practical topics such as accommodation (“Hotel Barcelona”). There is also interest in Andorra as a complementary destination. Additionally, the church of Sant Sever in Barcelona, weather concepts and destinations near the city (such as “La Molina” and “Vall de Núria”) have been listed as rising concepts.
• In the past month, Destination Barcelona ranked 7th in accommodation searches in the global online ranking compared to other international destinations, while in flight searches, it ranked 8th. Thus, not only has it improved its positioning in these rankings but it also has ranked ahead of Madrid, Dublin, and Vienna.
• Hotel bookings in the last month have been led by the domestic market, especially in the Barcelona region, where they account for more than half of the bookings. In Barcelona city, bookings from the U.S. remain the most frequent international reservations, while in Barcelona region, the leading international market has been France. Six out of ten bookings were for couples.
• Currently, the reservation level for the next month is below last year’s levels in both Barcelona city and the Barcelona region. However, bookings for April 2025 are higher than last year, likely due to Easter 2025 taking place later in April, compared to last year when it was in March, which may have shifted some bookings to later months.
• Compared to other European destinations for the next quarter, Barcelona city has a similar level of hotel bookings than London, higher than Paris, and lower than Berlin, Amsterdam, or Madrid. Barcelona region’s bookings level is positioned significantly lower.

More information: Tourism Activity Outlook Report for Destination Barcelona (2025-III)