Tourism continues to enjoy Tarragona despite the shock of the pandemic

TarragonaSpanish and international tourism continues to favor the Tarragona region. During the pandemic years, figures plummeted, and the loss of Russian tourists due to the war with Ukraine was also a setback, but the sector has recovered and is now approaching the record figures of 2017, when 22.3 million overnight stays were registered. Wine tourism, the Roman ruins of Tarraco, gastronomy, well-established beach destinations like Salou, and an amusement park that has never stopped growing. PortAventura is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025 with undeniable figures: since 1995, it has invested €1.8 billion and received more than 100 million visitors. It currently employs 24,000 people and represents 0.5% of Catalonia's GDP. In 2017, the amusement park opened Ferrari Land, further expanding its leisure offerings, as well as adding new hotels and restaurants.

Meanwhile, the sector has made a constant effort to reduce the seasonality of tourism, and this strategy has been successful. The majority of tourists visit in August (4.4 million), but the number of people venturing to the Tarragona region during the other months is steadily increasing. Last year, for example, over 2.5 million people visited Tarragona during March and April, and 2.1 million came in May. Once again, the strength of PortAventura has also contributed to reducing the seasonality of tourism. The theme park is opening more and more frequently, and in 2026 it plans to be open for 297 days. The park's commitment to celebrating Halloween (from September to November) and Carnival (March) facilitates this increase in visitors beyond August.

"We are becoming less seasonal and growing during the months we want to grow," celebrated Berta Cabré, president of the Tarragona Provincial Federation of Hospitality and Tourism Businesses (FEHT), which represents 90% of the region's accommodation, during the presentation of last year's tourism figures. Cabré also announced that the region's goal is to surpass its record set in 2017. The Terres de l'Ebre region also plays a key role in this ambitious goal. Many Catalans and tourists from other countries discovered the Terres de l'Ebre during the pandemic, when visitors were looking for space, natural surroundings, and tranquility. Since then, it has become a rising destination that, according to industry sources, has successfully cultivated tourist loyalty. "Whoever discovers the Terres de l'Ebre falls in love," Cabré summarized.

The Hard Rock Series

Ten years ago, the tourism sector had high hopes for a new project spearheaded by Hard Rock, intended to create a major leisure and hotel complex between Salou and Vila-seca. The project had been proposed two years prior, and in 2014, the CiU and PSC parties even reached an agreement on a tax break to make the investment more attractive. Casinos in Catalonia pay 55% tax on gambling revenue, and the agreement between the Convergència i Unió (CiU) and Socialist parties reduced that percentage to 10%. But what seemed so straightforward has turned into a veritable saga that has filled newspaper headlines for the last ten years and even brought down a government. In 2024, the Republican president, Pere Aragonès, needed the votes of the PSC and Comuns parties. to approve the budgets And while the Socialists demanded that the Hard Rock project go ahead, Comuns insisted that it be halted. Due to this lack of agreement, Aragonès was unable to pass the budget and, compounded by the drought, decided to call elections. Those elections brought the Socialist Salvador Illa to power, who was invested with the votes of ERC in exchange for, among other things, that the tax advantages that had been approved in 2014 be cancelledThose opposed to the Hard Rock project denounce its environmental impact—the megaproject's water consumption would exceed one million cubic meters per year—and also oppose a tourism model based on gambling. Furthermore, they warn of the chemical risks associated with its proximity to industrial parks in Tarragona.