Catalans' trips and excursions within Catalonia hit rock bottom

BarcelonaWhile more foreign tourists than ever arrive in Catalonia, domestic tourism is falling. Catalan excursions and trips within the territory are down 25.6% compared to before the pandemic, 2019. According to data from the National Statistics Institute (INE) compiled by ARA, trips are down 19.1% and day trips are down 28.3%.

Catalan trips overall – regardless of destination – are down 9.3%, although we are sleeping 3.4% more nights away from home. These figures account for all journeys of more than one day, whether it's a weekend in Empordà or an organized trip to China. "If we consider traveling as the act of going to a different place, Catalans do it less than before. However, if traveling means staying away from home for a while, we are not traveling less. The conclusion is that we are traveling differently," summarizes Josep Reyner, president of the Catalan economics commission of the College of Economists of Catalonia (CEC).

Although trips within Catalonia continue to be the majority, the increase in departures is abroad. Is it simply a matter of preferences? Does this trend have consequences on a national scale?

Who visits Catalonia, then?

For three years now, foreign tourists have once again outnumbered Catalans, as was the case before the pandemic. In 2025, 16.5 million Catalans, 20 million foreigners, and 5.8 million citizens from the rest of Spain traveled through Catalonia – staying at least one night away. Elisenda Ardèvol, an anthropologist at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), recalls that tourism also involves "exploring one's own territories," a practice that leads to "deepening one's roots" and contributes to building identity. Don't Catalans travel through Catalonia because we prefer to do so abroad?

The experts consulted by ARA point to the increased cost of the tourist offer in our country as an important factor to consider, starting from the premise that all realities are multifactorial. "It's not about preferences," warns geographer and professor at the University of Barcelona (UB) Velislava Simeonova. "The cost of doing tourism in Catalonia has been growing faster than the purchasing power of Catalans," she adds.

The daily spending of domestic tourists rose by almost 30% between 2019 and 2025 –around 88 euros per person–, while that of foreigners did so by 12.21% – exceeding 221 euros per capita–, according to Idescat. From this data it is inferred that foreigners in 2025 are now doing more economical tourism than before the pandemic, given that, if they consumed the same services as then, the increase should have been equal to or similar to the inflation of tourist services, which was 25.5%. Similarly, Catalans who travel opt for more expensive products, because their spending has risen more than inflation.

Reyner sees "a certain aspect of selection", whereby lower-income Catalan households "do not travel, or travel less" around Catalonia. Precisely because of this filtering according to tourists' purchasing power, Ivan Murray, doctor in geography from the University of Edinburgh, believes that Catalans are ceasing to travel. "Imagine we have 100 people who travel and spend 5 days away, versus 50 people who spend 10 days away. What conclusion would you draw?", he asks.

Simeonova considers that the data collected by ARA show "two groups of tourists who do not live in the same economy", in reference to Catalans and foreigners. Among the "most recent markets where Barcelona and Catalonia have been promoted," the expert lists the American, Chinese, Korean, and Japanese markets, where the average tourist has a higher income than in Catalonia. On the other hand, among Catalan families there is "a runaway demand," because, "with the same budget, a family gets more outside Catalonia than here." In response to questions from ARA, the Generalitat's Directorate General of Tourism has refused to comment on the data.

Tossa de Mar, supported by foreigners

In Tossa de Mar, one of the most iconic enclaves on the Costa Brava, 58% of visitors reside in Spain and the remaining 42% are foreigners. The local audience they receive is, for the most part, short-stay and repeat visitors: "They come by car, know the destination and very often do not stay overnight". Despite being the majority, last year the spending of international visitors more than doubled that of those with Spanish ID.

Consequently, from the City Council they argue that "the discussion would not be foreigners versus Catalans, but rather day-tripper versus tourist". The municipal government is working to "convert day-trippers into tourists", given that the latter generate more wealth for the municipality.

In parallel, the City Council and the sector want to strengthen local tourism because they believe it aligns with the tourist product they aim to consolidate, which includes culture, active nature, gastronomy, and commerce. "The challenge is to convince the local visitor that Tossa is a destination worth staying overnight in, not just a day trip". For now, however, they admit that "international visitors structurally sustain the accommodation economy and spending".

Are we poorer?

The available income of Catalans, after discounting the effect of inflation, "has improved more in the last three years than in the previous ones", although, compared to before the crisis, we have "lost purchasing power", explains Reyner. The increase in family income "has occurred in all groups, especially the lowest ones", leading to a distribution of income "very similar to the European Union average, and slightly better than the Spanish average".

However, between 2019 and 2025, the prices of Catalan tourist services rose 14.3% faster than CPI (the indicator that measures price evolution) general, according to the INE. To this divergence must be added that the most basic products, such as food and housing, are those that have become most expensive, and also those that have the most prominence in the spending of low-income households. Consequently, these families notice the increase in the cost of living more. "Each person has a different CPI, it depends on their consumption needs," recalls Reyner.

All families had to allocate a larger portion of their income to food and housing in 2025 than the previous year: now, the lower incomes dedicated almost 60% of their earnings to it, while the richest only invested between 43% and 48%. In parallel, the humblest families had to reduce spending on transport, restaurants, and accommodation more than the rest – three of the main items of tourist activity – even though everyone had to tighten their belts. "The first things that fall off the shopping list when life gets more expensive are tourist products," emphasizes Murray.

A change in the tourism model?

As the ARA advanced, in the last decade, the high-end hotel offer has gained weight to become the majority, and has gone from representing 47.41% to 56.93% of beds. Since 2015, the country has lost 18,332 places in establishments of up to four stars while, in parallel, it has added 43,494 in those of four stars or more – of these, however, not all are considered luxury; only a minority—. The net increase in hotel places in the last ten years (25,162 new beds) is the tip of the iceberg of a deeper tectonic plate movement, which shows how Catalonia is gradually consolidating the change in tourism model so longed for by the sector and administrations.

The professor at Esade and lecturer at the business school of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF-BSM) Josep-Francesc Valls argues that "in the seventies, in Catalonia, tourist prices were set too low" because they depended on European operators and that the direct link with the visitor allows for "creating greater experiences" at a higher price. He assures that Catalonia is becoming "one of the most competitive and innovative destinations" in Europe, precisely because it attracts a percentage of clients who, due to their place of origin, are attributed a greater spending capacity. On the other hand, Murray warns that "there are not enough rich people for everyone" and that there is "a dispute between territories, through public intervention, to compete and see who gets more tourists", with fiscal policies such as reduced VAT for hospitality or the tourist tax.

What do we do when we travel?

The decrease in the total number of tourists, both Catalan and foreign, has been noted throughout the territory. Between 2024 and 2025, the Costa Daurada and Terres de l'Ebre region has lost the most visitors, 12.67% fewer; followed by the area around Barcelona, 11.47% fewer; the Costa Brava, 9.32% fewer; Terres de Lleida, 9.38% fewer; and Pirineus i Vall d'Aran, 7.33% fewer. The city of Barcelona has maintained its level the most, but even so, it has decreased by 4.91%. It continues to exceed 12.3 million tourists annually.

Catalans' trips also generally decreased throughout the country, especially in tourist hubs such as Barcelona (-21.5%); Palafrugell (-32.4%); Torroella de Montgrí (-38.2%); Premià (-52.9%); Puigcerdà (-29.4%); Cambrils (-24.6%); Salou (-10.6%) and Lloret de Mar (-9.9%). Ardèvol warns that "the drop in domestic tourism in Catalonia is not just a problem of lack of money: it is a loss of affective connection of citizens" with their own country.

When we talk about tourism, we refer to the adventurer who travels far to discover other cultures, and to the mass tourist who only seeks a photograph to post on Instagram, but Ardèvol calls for "finding another word" to describe trips like those of Josep Pla, Jacint Verdaguer, and Josep Maria Espinàs. After traveling around the world as a correspondent, Pla published a series of works on the landscapes and way of life in Catalonia. In La Costa Brava, Pla argued that the place "still retains all its great beauty, its incentive, and its fascination, intact" and expressed the desire to "maintain values of reality that still subsist under this voluminous human crowd" brought, in his opinion, by tourism.