Destination Barcelona celebrates the arrival of Christmas with a cultural and leisure agenda filled with family activities

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

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

• Air capacity in Barcelona for December is estimated to be 5,2 million seats (+5,5% year-on-year).
• It is expected that during the month, 40 cruise ships will arrive to the Port of Barcelona, slightly above the same month in 2024.
• The cultural and leisure agenda‘s highlights will be Christmas celebrations, with Christmas markets, mangers, Christmas concerts and Christmas plays all around the territory. Some specific activities such as els llums de Sant Pau (20/11-11/01), Natalis, the magical worlds in Poble Espanyol (29/11-04/01) and the Christmas bath in Calella (25/12) will stand out. As for other types of celebrations, there will be the 21^st anniversary of VOZES in Barcelona (01/12), medieval fairs in Castelldefels (05/12-08/12) and Vic (06/12-08/12), the R.U. Market in Granollers (12/12-14/12) and the Rooster fair in Vilafranca del Penedès (20/12-21/12). Activities related to the TV3 Marathon will also be held in Sant Andreu de Llavaneres (13/12) and Òdena (14/12), and the Sant Silvestre races in el Masnou (26/12) and Badalona (28/12).
• In terms of the conference and fair calendar, there are 5 confirmed congresses and 2.000 delegates in December. During the first quarter of 2026, around fifteen congresses have been published, which could host around 200,000 delegates.
• Most countries will have Christmas holidays starting the 20^th December, and will return to school between the 5^th and 8^th January. The 8^th December, Spain, Italy and Argentina will celebrate the day of the Immaculate.
• In the past month, Google searches for Barcelona have been slightly above the ones in the same period for 2024. The most popular searches in Barcelona city are still Sagrada Familia. Among the rising searches, practical themes stand out such as the weather, temperature and places to visit.
• Hotel bookings in the past month have been led by the domestic market especially in Barcelona region, where they represent almost 2 in every 3 reservations. In Barcelona city the United States continues to lead the international market, whilst for Barcelona region it has been France. About 6 out of 10 bookings have been couples’ trips.
• Currently, the level of reservations for the upcoming months are higher than the previous year in both Barcelona city and Barcelona region.
• Compared to other European destinations, Barcelona city will have a similar level of hotel bookings as Amsterdam, but below the level of most cities mentioned in the report. Barcelona region is significantly below the aforementioned.

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