Catalonia registers a new record of tourists in August in the middle of the debate about the expansion of El Prat

BarcelonaCatalonia once again registers a new record in tourist arrivals and closes an unprecedented summer. Despite the heat waves and the increase in ticket prices due to the effects derived from the conflict in the Middle East, the country received almost 2.9 million visitors this August, a figure that represents an increase of 5.6% compared to the same period last year and a figure never seen in the entire historical series, which collects information since 1999.

According to the provisional data from the Hotel Tourism Situation published this Tuesday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), the boost in tourist arrivals responds, once again, to the arrival of international travelers. During the month of August, the number of visitors from abroad rose by 6.2% year-on-year, exceeding 1.92 million. For its part, the number of tourists residing in other parts of the State increased by 4.5%, reaching 967,600.

The publication by the INE comes in a context of tension between the administration and social, neighborhood, and environmental groups –along with some political parties– over the future expansion of El Prat airport. Last Sunday, a few days after Aena's investment plan was approved with more than 1.7 billion euros earmarked for El Prat, a demonstration called by Zeroport–the platform against the expansion– with the support of 210 entities took place from the intersection of Passeig de Gràcia and Carrer Aragó to Plaça Sant Jaume. Under the slogan "No to the expansion, not now, not ever", the organization denounced the climate implications of the project and the damages derived from the “saturation” of the metropolitan area and its commitment to an economic model "based on tourism".

It is precisely Barcelona, together with Tarragona, the Catalan province where the arrival of tourists increased the most during the month of August. According to provisional data, the Catalan capital and its metropolitan area exceeded 1.5 million visitors for the first time, a 7.5% increase compared to August of last year. Of these, only one in five came from other parts of the State, while the rest were foreigners. In the province of Barcelona, the arrival of international travelers increased by 8.2% during August, while the growth of domestic tourism was more moderate, at 4.7%.

In Tarragona, the increase in the number of visitors was even higher, specifically 9.8%. In their case, arrivals were more evenly distributed, with a slight prominence of domestic tourists. In the province, the number of people residing in Spain who were spending a few days on summer vacation increased by 10.2%, while that of residents abroad increased by 9.4%.

Regarding the Girona regions, the arrival of tourists during the month of August barely changed, with a year-on-year variation of 0.2%. In Girona, in fact, the growth engine was citizens coming from other parts of the State, with a slight rebound of 2.4%, while the figure for foreigners fell by 1.2%. In the province of Lleida, for its part, the number of visitors decreased by 2.2%, driven by a drop in domestic tourists (-4.8%) that did not compensate for the growth in international visitors.