Music festival season kicks off in Destination Barcelona

The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona updates the Destination Barcelona tourism forecast report as of 30/05/23, in which, as a novelty, the level of hotel reservations for the next 3 months based on the final reservations made for the same months in 2022 is included (4.3. Hotel reservations: level of reservations and length of stay).

Connectivity at the destination

• International air capacity: The worldwide flight air supply shows a recovery close to 98% for the upcoming 3 months, compared to prepandemic levels.
• Flight offer at Barcelona Airport: Barcelona is currently served by 71 airlines flying to 172 destinations, of which 40 are intercontinental.
• Cruises at Port de Barcelona: more than 100 cruise ships are expected to arrive in Barcelona in Maym which marks the beginning of cruise ships high season in the Destination.

Agenda

• Culture and leisure events: Destination Barcelona will stand out in June for hosting a large number of musical events, including major music festivals such as Sonar, which is now in its 30th year. The Spanish GP will take place at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya.
• Professional events and trade fairs: There are currently 106 congresses confirmed for the upcoming years, 77 of which in 2023. In the meanwhile, about 100 applications are open until 2027. In June, Destination Barcelona will host major professional events and trade fairs such as the UITP Global Transport Summit (05/06/23-07/06/23), which could attract some 18,000 visitors.

Interest for the destination

• Online search trends: Over last weeks, searches for both Barcelona city and Barcelona region have been lower than in the same period of 2022.
• Positioning of the destination in online searches: Over the last month, Destination Barcelona has ranked once again 5th in the ranking of international destinations for accommodation searches and 6th, for flights.
   

Accommodation demand forecast

• Seasonality and hotel bookings lead time: Over the last month, hotel bookings for both Barcelona city and Barcelona region have been, on the whole, lower than in the same period of 2022. The lead time for bookings made in May was 53,5 days in Barcelona city and 37,3 days in Barcelona region, so that it has remained very stable in both geographical areas.
• Origin and travel group: International bookings in May have exceeded domestic bookings in Barcelona city (73.5%), while in Barcelona region, domestic bookings have been the most frequent (55.3%). In Barcelona city, bookings from the United States (17.0%) were the most frequent international bookings, while those from France (12.3%) were the most frequent in the Barcelona region. Half of the bookings made were for travelling as a couple.
• Level of bookings: Currently, the level of bookings for the next quarter is above the level recorded last year in Barcelona city. In Barcelona region, however, only June records a higher level, while in July and August, bookings remain slightly lower than last year for the same periods. The US market in Barcelona city and the Spanish market in Barcelona region are the ones with the highest levels of bookings for this period.
• Benchmark: Barcelona city and Barcelona region are, respectively, in the first and the last position in the ranking of hotel bookings of European destinations analysed for stays during the next three months. Both, the volume of bookings and the ADR for Madrid are below of that of Barcelona city.

Destination Barcelona Tourism Forecast report (30/05/23)