The spending during the stay increases in Destination Barcelona to nearly €90 per person per day

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

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

Barcelona city

• Hotels and guesthouses accounted for 664 establishments and more than 87,500 operational beds, remaining stable compared to November and increasing slightly compared to the previous year (+1.8 % YoY. 25/24).
• Demand for hotels, guesthouses and Homes for Tourist Use (HTUs) decreased compared to the previous month in terms of both tourists and overnight stays. If compared interannually, there was an increase in the number of tourists (+11.9% YoY. 25/24) and overnights (+2.2% YoY. 25/24) even though the average length of stay was shorter (from 2.9 nights in 2024 to 2.6 nights in 2025).
• By type of accommodation, the average stay was 2.2 nights in hotel establishments and 3.5 in HTUs. Meanwhile, the occupancy rate was 55.6% in hotel establishments (+1.8pp YoY. 25/24) and 50.6% in HTUs (-0.9pp YoY. 25/24).
• At Barcelona Airport, there were around 4,3 million passenger movements, which led to an increase of 5.8% compared to last year. The ranking of countries from which passengers flew to Barcelona Airport was led by Spain, followed by Italy, the United Kingdom, France and Germany.
• Regarding the origin of tourists staying in hotel establishments, the proportion of international visitors (77.3%) increased compared to the previous year (+15,3% YoY. 25/24). The ranking of tourists in this type of accommodation was led by residents of Spain (22.7% share), followed by those from the United States (8.1%), Italy (7.9%) and France (7.7%).
• The typical tourist in Barcelona¹ during this month was a 34-year-old traveller, most commonly visiting as a part of a couple (46.9%), and visiting the city for the first time (62.1%). Leisure travellers accounted for 78.1% of the total, while those traveling for professional reasons ranked second, at 18.3%.
• The average expenditure during stays in the city increased compared to the previous year (+10.1% YoY. 25/24) but was slightly lower compared to the previous month, going from €104.9 in November to €103.7 per person per day in December.
• Spending during the stay in the city was primarily allocated to food and beverages (41.2%), followed by entertainment, leisure and culture (24%), shopping (21.3%), and internal transport (13.2%).
• Regarding the labour market, new hiring in the core tourism sector remained stable compared the previous month but it increased interannually (+7.4% YoY. 25/24). More than half of the new contracts were permanent, and registered unemployment in the tourism activities was lower than in the same period of 2024 (-1% YoY. 25/24).

Barcelona región

• The operational supply of tourist accommodation in Barcelona region increased interannually (+1,75% YoY. 25/24) and remained stable compared to last month, with 928 establishments and more than 41,000 operating bed places.

• Tourist demand decreased month-on-month for both overnights stays and the number of tourists. Compared to 2024, there was an increase in both tourists (+8.8% YoY. 25/24) and overnight stays (+8.8% YoY. 25/24). The average stay remained stable in 2.1 nights.
• By type of accommodation, rural tourism had the lengthiest average stays (2.7 nights), followed by hotel establishments (2.0 nights).
• 55.1% of tourists staying in hotel establishments in Barcelona region were international, a higher proportion than in the previous month (+4.8pp) and than in 2024 (+1pp YoY. 25/24).
• The typical tourist¹ in Barcelona region during this month was a 45-year-old individual who travelled for professional reasons (42%) and as part of a couple (46.9%).
• Average expenditure during the stay was set at €57.2, higher than last month (+10.9%) and than the previous year (+25% YoY 25/24). Taking into account the data for Barcelona city, the average expenditure in Destination Barcelona was €88.8 (+15.1% YoY. 25/24).
• The expenditure during the stay was mainly allocated to food and beverages (72.6%), internal transport (11.6%) and shopping (9.8%).
• Hiring in the tourism activity in Barcelona region increased year-on-year (+8.8% YoY. 25/24). Half of the new contracts were permanent, and registered unemployment in the tourism activity was lower than in the same period of 2024 (-4.4% YoY. 25/24)

Based on year-end data, the city of Barcelona received a total of 16 million tourists in 2025, which, together with the 10.1 million tourists in the Barcelona region, brought the total number of visitors to 26.1 million across Destination Barcelona. These figures, together with spending on accommodation and expenditure during the stay, have made it possible to estimate the economic impact of direct tourism-related spending at a total of €14.040 million across the destination. Of this amount, €10.375 million corresponds to the city of Barcelona and €3.665 million to the Barcelona region. The growth in the number of tourists was positive in the city of Barcelona (+2.9% YoY 25/24) and negative in the Barcelona region (-4.1% YoY 25/24). In both cases, the economic impact remained relatively stable compared to 2024, with year-on-year changes of +0.6% in the former and -2.8% in the latter. These calculations include data from paid tourist accommodation within the destination as well as other types of accommodation without an economic transaction, such as stays with friends and relatives.

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

More information:

Summary of tourism activity in Destination Barcelona – December 2025

Informe interactiu de seguiment de l’activitat turística