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

BarcelonaCatalonia is once again recording a new record in tourist arrivals and closes an unprecedented summer. Despite the heat waves and the rise in ticket prices due to the effects derived from the conflict in the Middle East, the country received almost 2.9 million visitors in hotels this month of 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% in year-on-year terms, to exceed 1.92 million. For its part, the number of tourists residing in other parts of the State increased by 4.5%, to 967,600.

The publication by the INE arrives in a context of tension between the administration and social, neighborhood, and environmental groups –along with some political parties– regarding 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 planned 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 with Carrer Aragó to Plaça Sant Jaume. Under the slogan "No to the expansion, not now and 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 demarcation where the arrival of tourists increased the most during the month of August. According to provisional data, the Catalan capital and its metropolitan area surpassed 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 Barcelona demarcation, 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 the domestic tourist. In the demarcation, the number of people residing in Spain who spent a few days summering 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 engine of growth was citizens coming from other parts of the State, with a slight rebound of 2.4%, while the number of foreigners fell by 1.2%. In the Lleida demarcation, 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.

Maximums in the State as a whole

In the same way as Catalonia, Spain also registered a new record in the number of visitors received in August. In the period of the year with the highest tourist influx, a total of 14.2 million people completed a vacation stay in the State, 2.9% more in year-on-year terms.

The rise is explained, once again, by the flows of visitors coming from other countries. During August, the number of foreign travelers experienced an increase of 6.2% compared to last year, reaching 7.85 million. Conversely, the figure for domestic tourists fell by 0.8%, to 6.37 million.

The evolution of the Catalan data, above the Spanish average, consolidates the country as the most visited territory in the State. This last month of August, Catalonia welcomed one out of every five tourists that the State received—20.3%—surpassing Andalusia, with a 16.4% share, and the Balearic Islands, with 15%.

Shorter stays but with higher spending

The average stay of tourists in Catalonia during August was 3.14 nights, slightly below the 3.24 nights recorded in the same month last year. With the exception of Lleida, where the duration went from 2.37 nights to 2.41, in the rest of the provinces the stays decreased.

In the Barcelona area, the average dropped to 2.78 overnight stays, while in Girona and Tarragona, where stays tend to be longer, they were reduced to 3.48 and 3.83 nights, respectively.

Occupancy, on the other hand, improved slightly. In Catalonia as a whole, the average occupancy increased by almost one point compared to August of last year, to 79.3%. The provinces of Girona and Tarragona headed the lists in the territory, with rates of 82.5% and 81%, respectively. In Barcelona, occupancy reached 79.4%, while in Lleida it remained stable at around 55%.

Finally, regarding the daily expenditure in hotels —the INE data only takes into account the income obtained for the provision of the accommodation service, without including additional services such as catering—, it stood at an average of 155.44 euros throughout Catalonia, 6.1% more than in August of last year.