International tourism drives the arrival of travelers to Catalonia towards a record summer
The country has received 2.7 million visitors in July, the highest figure in the historical series
BarcelonaNeither heatwaves nor the increase in air ticket 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 opted to avoid markets such as the Middle East, immersed in a context of enormous instability. According to provisional data presented this Friday by the National Statistics Institute (INE), more than 1.8 million international tourists visited Catalonia during the month of July, which represents 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 more moderately. Thus, Catalonia received close to 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, a 5% increase year-on-year. Again, international tourism appears to be the main driver of growth. Of these 1.5 million, 1.15 million came from foreign countries, an increase of 7.1%. In contrast, visitors arriving in the Barcelona region from other parts of Spain fell by 1.8%, standing slightly above 333,000.
The only demarcation that also saw an increase in the number of tourists was Tarragona, with a rebound of 0.7% in July, reaching 470,000 visitors. Unlike Barcelona, the growth in the region is explained by a higher influx of national than international tourists. Throughout July, the demarcation received 253,881 travelers from other parts of Spain, up 3.5%. In contrast, the number of international tourists contracted by 2.4%, to 225,120.
Regarding the Girona regions, the number of visitors remained practically stable compared to July last year, nearing 640,000 tourists. In a similar case to Tarragona, the Girona demarcation saw the number of foreign visitors fall by 3.2%, while the number of national tourists increased by 6%.
In the Lleida demarcation, however, the number of tourists suffered a decrease of 9.2%, to 90,260. In the case of this territory, both the number of foreign visitors and those from other parts of Spain decreased.
