The Port of Barcelona will register a great dynamism in the offer of cruise ships in May

The Observatory of Tourism in Barcelona updates the Destination Barcelona tourism forecast report as of 25/04/23, in which, a special chapter for hotel bookings for the 1st of May long weekend in Barcelona city and Barcelona region is included.

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 May for hosting a wide range of sports events such as such as football matches, several runs, the 50th Conde de Godó Sail Trophy, and in Cirucuit de Barcelona Catalunya, the Catalunya Worldsbk Round and the Spanish Grand Prix 2023. As for the cultural agenda, the most crowded events will be several concerts by Coldplay and Elton John and the celebration of the Night of the Museums.
• Professional events and trade fairs: There are currently 103 congresses confirmed for the upcoming years, 76 of which in 2023. In the meanwhile, about 100 applications are open until 2027. In May, Destination Barcelona will host major professional events and trade fairs such as the Automobile Barcelona (12/05/23-13/05/23), which could attract some 200,000 visitors.

Interest for the destination

• Online search trends: Over last weeks, an upward trend has been observed for hotel bookings in both Barcelona city and Barcelona region. 
• Positioning of the destination in online searches: Over the last month, Destination Barcelona has ranked 5th in the ranking of international destinations for accommodation searches and 6th, for flights. Thus, the positioning achieved in the previous month has been improved.
   

Accommodation demand forecast

• Seasonality and hotel bookings lead time: Over the last month, hotel bookings for Barcelona city have kept stable, while in Barcelona region, they have increased. The lead time for bookings made in April was 53 days in Barcelona city and 39 days in Barcelona region, which means a decrease in both areas.
• Origin and travel group: International bookings in April have exceeded domestic bookings in Barcelona city (80.1%), while in Barcelona region, domestic bookings have been the most frequent (53.6%). In both cases, the proportion of domestic bookings has fallen sharply compared to the previous month, and in Barcelona city, US bookings (22.3%) have even been higher than domestic bookings. 4 out of every 10 bookings made were for travelling as a couple. Group bookings have grown the most over the last month in Barcelona city, while in Barcelona region, those that have increased the most have been family bookings.
• Dates and length of stay: Currently, the level of bookings for the upcoming 3 months is above the level recorded last year. The average length of stay for bookings from May to July is almost at the same level of the same period last year: 3.7 nights in Barcelona city and 3.8, in Barcelona region. 
• 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.
• 1st of May special: 
  • The level of hotel bookings for the 1st of May long weekend (7 days previous to the stay) is higher than a year ago.
  • The peak of incoming bookings will be around 28/04-29/04, and and bookings have been made with a lead time of 74 days in Barcelona city and a 55 days in Barcelona region, which means an increase on last year.
  • Domestic bookings keep being the most frequent in both geographical areas, and even higher than in 2022, specially in Barcelona region. The American market in Barcelona city and the French market in Barcelona region are the ones who have booked the most for this period. 
  • The average stay will be 4.1 nights in Barcelona city and 3.7 nights in Barcelona region, which is lower than booking for the same period last year.
  • However, the ADR will be much higher than in 2022: €290 in Barcelona city (+43.9% Var. 23/22) and €195, in Barcelona region (32.1% Var. 23/22).
  • Almost 6 out of 10 of the bookings have been made for travelling as a couple.

Destination Barcelona Tourism Forecast report (25/04/23)