Numerous bank holidays in the second quarter reduce demand seasonality at the destination.

The Barcelona Tourism Observatory: city and region publishes the outbound markets report for the second quarter of 2023. In this period, the existence of different holiday periods and bank holidays in the main source markets will distribute the arrival of tourists to Destination Barcelona.

As new feature of this edition, and exceptionally, in addition to the usual markets analysed (Germany, Spain, the United States, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the Netherlands), the Canadian market has been included. This market is of particular interest during the second quarter of the year, given that one of the peaks in demand from this market for our destination is recorded in May.

The main conclusions of the report, by source market, are detailed below.

 

Germany

• The German cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport keep being Frankfurt, Munich, and Berlin.
• During the second quarter of 2023, there will be 20 days of school holidays in April and several bank holidays that could be converted into long week-ends in May and June.
• The region showing the greatest interest in the destination over the last 90 days was Hamburg. The most popular search terms kept being the weather and Sagrada Familia.
• The Destination ranked 12^th in internet searches for accommodation and 5^th for flights in the ranking of international destinations. This positioning has improved compared to the last inbound markets report.
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from Germany is similar to the same period in 2022 for both, Barcelona city and Barcelona region. Bookings for the week of 15 May in Barcelona region stand out.
• Germans have booked, for these dates, an average of more than 3 months in advance. Stays will be around 4,7 nights (which means an increase on the first quarter), and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent.
• The level of hotel bookings in Barcelona city and Barcelona region is below the average of bookings for other international European destinations (excluding Berlin).
   

Spain

• The Spanish cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport are Madrid, Palma de Mallorca, and Sevilla.
• During the second quarter of 2023, school holidays will be concentrated during the first days of April (Easter holidays) and from 22 June onwards.
• The region that has shown the greatest interest in Destination Barcelona over the last 90 days has been Catalonia. The most popular search terms were Sagrada Familia, hotels, Andorra, Tibidabo, Sitges, and Cubelles.
• During the same period of analysis, the Destination ranked 2^nd in internet searches for both accommodation and flights, within the ranking of national and international destinations.
• The level of hotel bookings for the secnd quarter of 2023 from Spain is ahead of the same period of 2022 in both Barcelona city and Barcelona region. Bookings for Easter in both geographical areas and for the week of 22 May in Barcelona city stand out.
• Spaniards have booked, for these dates, an average of more than 3 months in advance. Stays will be around 2.5 nights long, which also means an increase on the first quarter. Travelling as a couple will be also the most frequent.
• The level of hotel bookings is above the average of bookings for other destinations analysed, yet behind those of Madrid.
   

United States

• The US cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport keep being New York, Miami, and Los Angeles.
• During the second quarter of 2023, school holidays will be during Easter (from 6 to 14 April) and from 28 June onwards.
• The region showing the most interest in Barcelona city over the last 90 days was Wyoming, while in Destination Barcelona, Minnesota. The most popular search terms were Barcelona, Spain, and Sagrada Familia.
• During the same period of analysis, the Destination ranked 11^th in internet searches for accommodation (one position lower than in the last report) and 21^rd for flights  in the ranking of international destinations (+2 positions). It should be borne in mind that many Americans arrive in Destination Barcelona from other European cities.
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from the United States is ahead of the same period of 2022 for both Barcelona city, and Barcelona region. In Barcelona city, bookings for the week of 22 May stand out.
• Americans have booked particularly far in advance for these dates, with an average of more than 100 days before the stay. Stays will longer than 3 nights, although slightly shorter than in the first quarter, and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent. In Barcelona city, bookings for the week of 22 May stand out.
• Hotel bookings for Barcelona city are above the average for other international European destinations, while for Barcelona region, they remain well below the average.

 

France

• The French cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport are Paris, Nice, and Lyon.
• During the second quarter of 2023, school holidays will be distributed, throughout different regions between 8 April and 9 May.
• The region showing the greatest interest in Barcelona city over the last 90 days was Languedoc-Roussillon, while in Destination Barcelona, it was the Poitou – Charentes region. The most popular search terms were Sagrada Familia, accommodation, and weather.
• During the same period of analysis, the destination ranked 3^rd in internet searches for accommodation and 8^th for flights in the ranking of international destinations.
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from France is similar to the same period in 2022, with bookings for the weeks of 10 to 23 April standing out. In Barcelona region, bookings are lower than in the same period last year, although those for stays during the week of 15 May are the highest.
• The French have booked for these dates an average of more than 80 days in advance. Stays will be around 3.4 nights and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent in Barcelona city, while solo travelling, in Barcelona region.
• The level of hotel bookings for both Barcelona city and Barcelona region is over the average of bookings for other international European destinations (excluding Paris).

 

Italy

• The Italian cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport keep being Rome, Milan, and Venice.
• During the second quarter of 2023, school holidays will be during Easter (6 to 11 April) and from 10 June onwards.
• The region showing the greatest interest in Barcelona city over the last 90 days was Molise, while in Destination Barcelona it was the Umbria region. The most popular search term has been ” the sea“.
• During the same period of analysis, the destination ranked 3^th in internet searches for accommodation and 4^th for flights in the ranking of international destinations, achieving one position higher in each of the categories analysed since the last source market report.
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from Italy is over to the same period in 2022 in Barcelona city, being bookings for Easter, the highest. In Barcelona region bookings for the week of 30 May stand out.
• Italians have booked, for these dates, an average of more than 80 days in advance. Stays will be around 3 nights long and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent.
• The level of hotel bookings in Barcelona city is above the bookings average for other international European destinations (excluding Rome), while the level in Barcelona region is below.

 

United Kingdom

• The British cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport are London, Manchester, and Bristol.
• During the second quarter of 2023, school holidays will be in the first half of April and from 27 May to 4 June.
• The region showing the most interest in Destination Barcelona over the last 90 days England. The most popular search terms were weather, “Things to do in Barcelona” and Sagrada Familia.
• During the same period of analysis, the destination ranked 9^th in internet searches for accommodation and 7^th for flights in the ranking of international destinations.
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from the United Kingdom is lower than in the same period of 2022, while in Barcelona region, higher.
• The British have booked close to 110 days in advance. Stays will be around 4 nights long (0.5 night over the first quarter) and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent.
• The level of hotel bookings in Barcelona city is slightly above the average for bookings to other international European destinations (excluding London), while the level in Barcelona region is below.

 

The Netherlands

• The Dutch cities with the highest volume of air passengers from/to Barcelona Airport keep being Amsterdam, Eindhoven, and Rotterdam.
• During the first quarter of 2023, there will be school holidays in Easter (1 to 7 April), and from 29 April to 7 May.
• The region showing the most interest in Destination Barcelona over the last 90 days was Zealand. The most popular search terms were the weather, Park Güell, and “places of interest”.
• The destination ranked 10^th in internet searches for accommodation and 2^th for flights in the ranking of international destinations. This is a significant improvement on the positioning achieved in the last source markets report. 
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from the Netherlands is lower to 2022 in Barcelona city, while in Barcelona region it is similar. Bookings for the last week of April and the first week of May in Barcelona city and for 20 June in the Barcelona region stand out.
• The Dutch have booked, for these dates, an average of more than 3 months in advance. Stays will be longer than 3 nights on average and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent.
• The level of hotel bookings in Barcelona city is above the average for bookings to other international European destinations (excluding Amsterdam), while the level in Barcelona region is below.

 

Canada

• There are currently no direct air routes to Barcelona from Canada. However, in Spring, 3 routes with this market will: Toronto, Montreal, and Calgary.
• During the second quarter of 2023, there will be school holidays from 7 to 10 April.
• The region that has shown the highest interest in Barcelona city over the last 90 days has been the Island of Prince Edward. The most popular searched concept was “things to do in Barcelona”.
• The destination ranked 24th in internet searches for accommodation and 38th for flights, in the ranking of international destinations.
• The level of hotel bookings for the second quarter of 2023 from Canada is higher than last year in both Barcelona city and Barcelona region.
• Canadians have booked, for these dates, with an average of more than 100 days in advance. Stays will be around 3.5 nights and travelling as a couple will be the most frequent.
• Hotel bookings in Barcelona city are above those in other international European destinations, while those in the Barcelona region similar to the average.

 

More infomation: Outbound Markets in Destination Barcelona 2023 – II