Ten years on from Brexit, tourism numbers from UK have never recovered same levels

Ten years after the Brexit referendum, the consequences of the vote for the relationship between the United Kingdom and Catalonia are being felt in various areas.

The exit came to pass six years ago, and since then, the number of British tourists visiting Catalonia has not yet recovered the levels before leaving the EU.

Imports from the UK to Catalonia have fallen by 43.1% in this time period as well, while exports have continued to rise, growing by 25% in this time.

Tourism

Catalonia has seen an 8.1% drop in UK visitor numbers between 2019 and 2025.

This trend goes against that of most other countries, with only France registering a decline, although lighter, of 4%.

Before Brexit, more than two million visitors came to Catalan shores each year, a level that has never been seen again since the referendum.

In 2025, there were 1.85 million tourists from the United Kingdom, in second place below France.

However, experts say that Brexit has introduced some factors that may condition future market growth.

One such factor is the devaluation of the pound sterling, which in certain periods has reduced the purchasing power of British people abroad.

Imports and exports

The director of International Business at Catalonia Trade & Investment agency Acció, Cristina Serradell, explains the drop in UK imports is down to "more obstacles" now to purchasing from outside the European bloc, while there is a tendency to buy certain products from "other European partners."

In 2019, the last full year with the British as members of the European community, Catalonia bought UK products worth €2.767 billion.

After some ups and downs also coinciding with the pandemic, the figure has continued to drop in the last three years, totalling €1.575 billion last year.

On the contrary, Catalan exports to the UK saw a jolt just after Brexit was completed, also during the covid years, but in 2023 they recovered previous levels and in recent years they have risen non-stop to €5.407 billion.

"Companies that exported to the United Kingdom have continued and adapted, although they have to do more paperwork," Serradell told ACN. According to her, the country is still "an attractive market" for Catalan companies, and the country's products are "competitive" and have continued to be consumed despite the added bureaucratic obstacles.

However, some companies that are starting now and have to plan their international expansion strategy from scratch are considering "European Union markets that are simpler." Last year, there were a total of 4,815 Catalan companies that sold to the British market.

Britons acquiring Spanish nationality

The new status quo has not caused a major variation in the number of residents in Catalonia of British origin.

According to Idescat, the figure was around 20,000 people just before Brexit, and in recent years it has increased slightly to 22,730 last year.

However, there has been more interest in this collective to obtain Spanish nationality. According to INE data, the number of people with a UK passport residing in Catalonia who acquired Spanish nationality began to increase in 2019, just before Brexit.

In the previous six years, only 48 people had completed the procedure, while in the six years since, 751 citizens have done so.