Forecast 2026 – VIII

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

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

• Air capacity in Barcelona for August is estimated to be 6,6 million seats (+6,2% year-on-year).
• It is expected that during the month, 95 cruise ships will arrive to the Port of Barcelona, above the same month in 2025.
• The cultural and leisure agenda will be marked by local festivals, such as la Festa Major de les Neus in Vilanova i la Geltrú, la Festa Major de Gràcia in Barcelona, la Festa Major d’Igualada, la Festa Major de Sant Bartomeu in Sitges, la Festa Major de Sants in Barcelona, la Festa Major de Blancs i Blaus in Granollers, la Festa Major de Manresa and la Festa Major i Diada de Sant Fèlix in Vilafranca del Penedès.
• During August, almost all of the analyzed markets will enjoy summer school holidays. The only exceptions are Argentina and Singapore.
• In the past month, Google searches for Barcelona have been higher to those in the same period of 2025. The most popular searches in Barcelona city have been the Sagrada Familia and the beach. Among the rising searches, the beach stands out again as the main theme.
• Hotel bookings in the past month have been led by the domestic market especially in Barcelona region, where they represent almost half of the reservations. The United States has led the international market for Barcelona city, while France has done so for Barcelona region. 6 out of 10 bookings have been couples’ trips.
• Currently, the level of reservations for the upcoming months are slightly 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 London, and similar to the average from the cities mentioned in the report. Barcelona region is below the aforementioned.

More information: Tourism Activity Outlook Report for Destination Barcelona (2026-VIII)