Catalans' trips and excursions within Catalonia hit rock bottom

BarcelonaWhile more foreign tourists arrive in Catalonia than ever before, domestic tourism falls. Catalans' 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 reduced by 19.1% and day trips by 28.3%.

Catalans' travel patterns – regardless of destination – are down 9.3%, although we are sleeping 3.4% more nights away from home. These figures account for all trips lasting 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 period of time, 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 to foreign countries. Is it simply a matter of preferences? Does this trend have consequences at a national level?

Who visits Catalonia, then?

For three years now, foreign tourists have once again surpassed Catalans, just as they did 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 increase in the 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 the 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 can be inferred that foreigners in 2025 are now undertaking more economical tourism than before the pandemic, given that, if they were to consume 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 are opting for more expensive products, as 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 screening according to the purchasing power of tourists, Ivan Murray, a doctor in geography from the University of Edinburgh, believes that Catalans are stopping traveling. "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 shows "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 "fled 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, the City Council argues that "the discussion would not be foreigners versus Catalans, but rather excursionist versus tourist". The municipal government is working to "convert excursionists 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 the moment, however, they admit that "the international public is structurally what sustains the accommodation economy and expenditure".

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 in the lowest ones", leading to an income distribution "very similar to the European Union average, and slightly better than the Spanish average".

Now, between 2019 and 2025, the prices of Catalan tourist services rose 14.3% faster than theCPI (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 more expensive, and also those that have the most prominence in the spending of households with lower incomes. 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: well, 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 the tourism product," emphasizes Murray.

A change in the tourism model?

As reported by ARA, in the last decade, high-end hotel offerings have gained weight to become the majority, increasing from 47.41% to 56.93% of beds. Since 2015, the country has lost 18,332 places in establishments up to four stars while, in parallel, it has gained 43,494 in those with 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.

Josep-Francesc Valls, a professor at Esade and a lecturer at the business school of Pompeu Fabra University (UPF-BSM), argues that "in the seventies, in Catalonia, tourist prices were set too low" because they depended on European operators and that direct connection 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 is the one that has lost the most visitors, 12.67% less; followed by the area around Barcelona, 11.47% less; the Costa Brava, 9.32% less; Terres de Lleida, 9.38% less; and, Pirineus and Vall d'Aran, 7.33% less. The city of Barcelona is the one that best maintains its level, but, even so, it drops by 4.91%. It continues to exceed 12.3 million tourists annually.

Catalan travels also decreased in a generalized way 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 the citizenry" with their own country.

When we talk about tourism, we refer to the adventurer who goes far away to discover other cultures, and to the mass visitor who only seeks a photograph to post on Instagram, but Ardèvol claims to "seek 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. On 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.