International tourism drives the arrival of travelers to Catalonia towards a record summer

BarcelonaNeither heatwaves nor the increase in airfare prices have slowed down the arrival of tourists in Catalonia. During the past month of July, the country received almost 2.7 million visitors, a figure that represents an increase of 2.5% compared to the same period last year and a new record in the historical series, which collects data since 1999.

The increase is mainly explained by the arrival of travelers from abroad. Given the perception of Catalonia – and Spain in general – as a safe tourist destination, many have chosen to avoid markets like the Middle East, immersed in a context of enormous instability. According to provisional data presented this Friday by the National Institute of Statistics (INE), more than 1.8 million international tourists visited Catalonia during the month of July, representing an increase of 3.1% year-on-year and a new record since data has been collected.

The increase is higher than that experienced by domestic tourism, which also grew in July, but in a more moderate way. Thus, Catalonia received nearly 896,000 visitors from other parts of Spain, 1.1% more than in July last year, and far from the record of almost 950,000 national tourists registered in the seventh month of 2023.

Barcelona drives growth

The increase in the number of arrivals comes mainly from the Barcelona demarcation. According to the INE, the Catalan capital and its metropolitan area received nearly 1.5 million visitors, 5% more year-on-year. Again, international tourism is presented as the main driver of growth. Of these 1.5 million, 1.15 million came from foreign countries, a figure that represents an increase of 7.1%. On the other hand, visitors arriving in the comarques of Barcelona from other parts of the State fell by 1.8%, standing slightly above 333,000.

The only province that also saw an increase in the number of tourists was Tarragona, with a rebound of 0.7% in July, to 470,000 visitors. Unlike Barcelona, the growth in the territory is explained by a higher influx of national than international tourists. Throughout July, the province received 253,881 travelers from other parts of Spain, 3.5% more. On the other hand, the number of international tourists contracted by 2.4%, to 225,120.

Regarding the counties of Girona, the number of visitors remained practically stable compared to July of last year, nearing 640,000 tourists. In a similar case to Tarragona, the Girona province saw the number of foreign visitors fall by 3.2%, while the figure for national tourists increased by 6%.

In the province of Lleida, however, the number of tourists fell by 9.2%, to 90,260. In the case of this territory, both the number of foreign visitors and those from other parts of the State decreased.

Overnight stays fall

The increase in the arrival of travelers coincides with a drop in the number of overnight stays, suggesting that the stays of people visiting Catalonia are shortening. Thus, the country recorded around 8.15 million overnight stays in July, a figure representing a year-on-year decrease of 0.3%. This translates into an average stay of 3.02 nights per tourist, below the 3.1 nights corresponding to July 2025.

In this case, overnight stays by visitors from other parts of the State increased slightly, from 2.4 nights last year to 2.43 nights this July. Foreigners, on the other hand, although they usually have longer stays than national tourists, shortened them last month. In Catalonia, international travelers stayed an average of 3.36 nights this July, below the 3.45 nights recorded in the same month last year.

By regions, the longest stays – summing the number of national and international tourists – occurred in Tarragona, with 3.82 nights. Following are the counties of Girona, with 3.48; Barcelona, with 2.62, and Lleida, with 2.22.

Daily spending accelerates

After a 2025 in which the average spending per night by tourists barely varied – it did so by 1% – this July the growth rate accelerated. In Catalonia, each visitor spent an average of 149.5 euros per stay, 6.1% more than in the same period last year.

A large part of this evolution is due to the behavior of tourism in Barcelona and its metropolitan area. This July, the average spending by visitors in the Catalan capital and its surroundings stood at 159.28 euros per night, above the 153.3 euros of last year and the 154 of two years ago.

The province of Girona also registered a strong rebound, seeing its visitors spend 145.4 euros per overnight stay, 13.7% more than in July last year. In Tarragona and Lleida, spending also increased, but less significantly. In the first case, each traveler spent an average of 138.23 euros per night, 3.1% more, while in the second, the average spending stood at 81.6 euros per day, 2.2% more.

Hotel prices on the rise

The INE calculates the Hotel Price Index, which rose by 5.9% in July compared to the same month in 2025. By autonomous communities and cities, the largest increase was recorded in the Valencian Community (9.8%) and the sharpest decrease in Castile and León (-0.4%). By categories, the largest price increase occurred in three- and two-star silver establishments (8.8%).

The average hotel turnover per occupied room (ADR) was 156.9 euros in July, an increase of 6.8% compared to the same month in 2025. By categories, the ADR was 339.0 euros for five-star hotels, 164.8 euros for four-star hotels, and 132.6 euros for three-star hotels.

The average daily revenue per available room (RevPAR) – the main measure of hotel profitability – conditioned by the occupancy of these establishments, reached 119.3 euros, with an increase of 6.6%.