Shorter stays and lower tourist spending mark summer season

Catalonia's tourism sector is celebrating another busy summer, but after the post-pandemic boom, hoteliers and restaurateurs are now seeing signs of more cautious spending.

Visitor numbers remain high, but industry representatives say overnight stays are declining, and trips are getting shorter.

"Experiences like going out shopping or to an expensive restaurant just aren't happening anymore," warns Elvira Garcia, general director of Barcelona Oberta.

"If people can spend €20 instead of €40, they will," adds Manuel Ángel Ortiz from the Castelldefels Hospitality Association.

Sector leaders interviewed at the end of August by the Catalan News Agency (ACN) point out that the high season is lasting longer than before and say the goal now is to ensure more stable occupancy rates throughout the year.

"Worrying" trends in Barcelona

Tourism in Catalonia is wrapping up another strong summer, with excellent figures – setting new records in some areas – but concerns are growing that the sector may have reached its peak, especially in Barcelona and the metropolitan area.

Elvira Garcia warns of a noticeable drop in spending by visitors to the Catalan capital. She also highlights the fall in local visitors to shops and restaurants in the city centre – "worrying" trends first noticed last year, she says.

Another concern for Garcia is the sharp decline in American tourists, key customers for high-end retail. She attributes this in part to the weakening of the US dollar against the euro.

Joaquim Boadas, secretary general of Catalan hospitality and nightlife industry association Fecasarm, echoes these concerns.

He points to shorter tourist stays as a major factor behind the decline in overall spending, especially compared to pre-pandemic years.

Shorter hotel stays

A record number of tourists stayed in Catalan hotels in July (2.6 million, 3.3% more than July 2024), but the number of overnight stays remained stable (8.2 million, 0.2% more).

Hotel visitors stayed an average of 3.14 nights, the lowest figure for July since current records began in 1999 (excluding 2020 and 2021, marked by the pandemic.)

Campsites extend season

Campsites in Catalonia report good occupancy figures, around 85% throughout the summer.

The president of the Catalan Federation of Campsites, Miquel Gotanegra, points out that a significant number of visitors are from Catalonia and Spain.

French, Belgian and German visitors lead the way in terms of foreign campers.

As with hotels, the sector has noted a reduction in overnight stays. Girona campsites saw an average stay of seven nights per person in summer 2024, but this year the figure is expected to fall below six.

On the other hand, the camping season does not come to an end in August, with sector representatives in Girona saying they already have very high booking rates for autumn.

In fact, more and more campsites are opening all year round, investing in heated swimming pools and other facilities.

Shorter stays at rural guesthouses

Rural guesthouses in the inland county of Berguedà describe the 80% occupancy rate for August as "positive," a figure slightly higher than last year.

The president of the Berguedà Agrotourism Association, Oriol Baños, admits that many visitors now ask for shorter stays – three or four nights rather than whole weeks.

The majority of clients in rural tourism accommodation are families from the Barcelona metropolitan area, ​​especially cities such as Sabadell and Terrassa, Baños explains, noting there has also been an increase in French visitors.

"It’s a type of tourist we had lost, but now they're back, and they've become our second most common visitor," says the president of the association.

Adventure sports

The Lleida region in western Catalonia continues to be a benchmark for adventure sports tourism in Spain, according to Flòrido Dolcet, the president of the Pallars Sobirà Association of Adventure Sports Companies.

Spring rains have helped, and high summer temperatures have increased demand to cool off in the Pyrenees, he says.

With the season running until October 15, Dolcet expects the summer to finish close to "record figures."

Foreign tourists

The number of foreign tourists visiting Catalonia fell in July compared to last year.

Official INE statistics published on Monday show Catalonia received 2,352,229 foreign tourists, 1.2% less than in 2024 (2,379,950).

Despite the dip in July, the total number of foreign tourists so far this year continues to break records.

From January to July, 11,603,806 international tourists visited Catalonia, 1.14% more than in 2024, marking the highest figure in the historical series, which dates back to 2016.

In July, overnight stays fell slightly – by 0.01% – to 14,294,181. Spending per person was €229, up 4.2% on a year ago.

Catalonia leads the way

On average, international visitors to Catalonia stayed for 6.1 days, 2% more than a year ago. Overall spending per tourist during their stay climbed to €1,398, an annual increase of 6.5%.

Between January and July, more foreign tourists – over 11.6 million – visited Catalonia than any other autonomous community in Spain. The second most popular destination was the Canary Islands, with 9.1 million, followed by the Balearic Islands with 9 million.