Hotel travelers in March break all records
Establishments complete twelve consecutive months of historical highs despite the price increase
BarcelonaThe number of travelers in Catalan hotels in March surpassed all records, reaching 1.56 million, as published by the INE this Thursday, a level never before reached, and an increase of 12.6% compared to the same month last year. The historical maximum, also registered in the demarcations of Barcelona and Girona, is mainly explained by the increase in international travelers who, for the first time in a March, have exceeded 900,000.
Thus, hotels have completed twelve consecutive months of year-on-year records, since April of last year. The number of overnight stays has also risen compared to 2025, although it has not registered a March maximum, as the number of hotel nights per traveler has fallen to 2.24.
Since the beginning of the historical series, in 1999, only one and a half million guests had been surpassed once in a March in Catalan hotels, two years ago, but this year the maximum of 1.5 million tourists has been reached, coinciding with the fact that the first Easter weekend fell in March, according to the ACN. Six out of ten were residents abroad, a usual circumstance that has even slightly increased compared to the last decade. In fact, the number of international travelers has been 945,083, closer than ever to one million. Residents in Spain have been 618,275, the third highest figure in the last quarter of a century. In total, the first quarter of 2026 has registered as many visitors in hotel establishments as ever before, 3.98 million.
Prices rise to 117 euros per night
According to the INE, in the State as a whole, the hotel price index rose by 4.5% in March compared to the same month of 2025. The average hotel revenue per occupied room (ADR) was 117.8 euros in March, representing an increase of 3.7% compared to the same month of 2025. The average daily revenue per available room (RevPAR) –the main indicator of hotel profitability–, conditioned by the occupancy of these establishments, reached 75.0 euros, with a rise of 3.8%.
By categories, the ADR was 282.8 euros for five-star hotels, 120.3 euros for four-star hotels, and 88.2 euros for three-star hotels. The RevPAR for these same categories was 182.6, 85.6, and 56.8 euros, respectively. The tourist destination with the highest ADR was Naut Aran, with 223.8 euros.
Girona, Tarragona, and Lleida also rise
By demarcations, the sector has experienced the best March on record in Barcelona, with 1.8 million passengers. In Girona, the same situation occurred, with a historic high of 261,448 travelers, 18.6% more than last year. In Lleida, there has been a rebound compared to last year with 81,923 people, but March 2024 was more dynamic for the sector than this one. And in Tarragona, with 139,976 guests, the figure is the second highest in history, after March two years ago.
The INE statistics also reveal that the total number of overnight stays is 3.5 million, a figure that is higher than that of 2025, but slightly lower than that of 2024. This is explained by the fact that the number of nights per traveler has been the lowest in the historical series –excluding the pandemic– and has fallen to 2.24. By demarcations, the trend is the same, with fewer overnight stays than in 2024, a year in which Easter fell almost entirely in March.