New tourism record: foreigners spend more than ever in Catalonia
In July 2.37 million foreigners visited Catalonia and since the beginning of the year, almost 12 million
BarcelonaThe summer of historic results in tourism that the sector predicted in spring. This July, spending by foreigners in Catalonia has for the first time exceeded the threshold of 3.7 billion euros, according to data published by the National Statistics Institute (INE) this Tuesday. The increase in total spending has also been reflected in the average consumption of each visitor, which has also reached a new high, surpassing 1,500 euros per stay for the first time.
About a year ago, total spending by tourists in Catalonia rose by 12.98% and average spending per person by 12.11%. The increases have more than tripled the price increase estimated for the economy as a whole: the consumer price index (CPI, the indicator that calculates the cost of living for families) rose to 3.5% in July.
In the seventh month of the year, 2.37 million foreigners visited Catalonia, 20% of the tourists who entered the State, 0.8% compared to a year ago. Tourism contributes nearly 12% of Catalonia's gross domestic product (GDP, the indicator used worldwide to measure the size of an economy and its growth). Claudio Milano, a tourism expert from the anthropology department at the University of Barcelona (UB), warns that "using only spending to evaluate tourism is problematic" because "it only reflects the economic dimension.
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Milano assures that "spending hides many other things", such as the distribution of activity in the territory and the degree of distribution of profits, not only among workers but also among business models. "There are many studies that show that tourists with greater purchasing power normally "concentrate spending on franchises", both hotel, restaurant and retail.
By nationality, almost 20% of visitors had French passports. They are the largest group, followed by those from the United Kingdom (10.6%), the Netherlands (8.8%), and the United States (8.5%). In the State as a whole, foreign tourists in July also consumed more than ever: they spent 18,218 million euros, 10.86% more than a year ago. They allocated more resources to their trip than those visiting Catalonia – around 1,579 euros – although the daily spending was lower – 218 euros. In the first seven months of the year, Spain received 58.1 million foreign tourists, 4.6% more. Before the summer, the Spanish government pointed to the possibility that this year the State would exceed the threshold of 100 million. In 2025 it remained at 96.8 million.Almost 12 million tourists in 2026
Although Catalonia breaks the record for total spending and per trip, there are two indicators that remain below the registered peak: daily spending and days of stay. On the one hand, tourists from outside the State spent less per day than in June: 241 euros. Part of the explanation is that, compared to then, they are staying more days in our country. On the other hand, foreigners in July took shorter trips to our country than in January, for example. Compared to July 2025, each person spent 5.5% more per day and stayed 6.26% longer.
Since the beginning of 2026, almost 12 million people have visited Catalonia, 3% more than in the first seven months of last year. They have increased the average investment per trip by 8.8% and the duration of the stay by 7.9%. Although these are lower increases than those recorded if we only look at July, they have increased total spending by almost 12%, even though daily consumption per person has remained stable.