Barcelona draws millions of tourists – yet they know little about its culture

Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the world, attracting over 20 million international tourists annually.

Yet despite its popularity, many visitors know surprisingly little about the local culture and identity of the region they're exploring.

A recent test conducted by Catalan News, which asked tourists in Barcelona fourteen basic questions about the local culture, revealed a mix of vague answers, misconceptions, and widespread unfamiliarity with the territory.

One of the simplest questions: "What language is spoken in Catalonia besides Spanish?," exposed major gaps in knowledge.

While some correctly identified Catalan, others guessed incorrectly, naming unrelated languages like Portuguese, Italian, or French.

When asked to say a basic phrase like "Good morning" in Catalan (Bon dia), not a single respondent could do so.

Some tourists were unaware that Catalan is a language at all, and many seemed unclear about what Catalonia is or where its borders lie.

Most visitors associated their trip solely with Barcelona and Spain. Very few could name another Catalan city, and responses were mostly limited to popular tourist destinations like Lloret de Mar or Salou.

Knowledge of Catalan cuisine was also limited. Most respondents named widely known Spanish dishes such as paella and tortilla, while few could identify traditional Catalan dishes like pa amb tomàquet or crema catalana.

On a more positive note, most tourists recognized the Sagrada Família and correctly named its architect, Antoni Gaudí. However, fewer were familiar with Park Güell, another of Gaudí's masterpieces.

Surprisingly, some didn't recognize La Rambla, even when interviewed while walking along it.

When asked about Salvador Dalí, the surrealist painter born in Catalonia, many confused him with Pablo Picasso (born in Málaga), while others didn't recognize his name at all.

The toughest question in the test asked tourists to name the traditional human towers built in Catalonia known as castells. Not a single respondent could name it, and most admitted they had never heard of it.

On a lighter note, knowledge of Barcelona's football club, Barça, was much stronger. Most respondents recognized the club’s name, some could name its stadium, Camp Nou, and a few were even able to mention a current player, most notably, Lamine Yamal.

Why do tourists know so little? 

"It is not a phenomenon exclusive to Barcelona; it happens all around the world," explains Claudio Milano, professor at the Faculty of Geography and History at the University of Barcelona (UB).

Milano emphasizes that the problem is not the city itself, but “a type of tourism that turns any place into something to be consumed beyond its history.”

"With digitalization and the democratization of tourism, we end up with superficial and generic information about the places we visit. We rely on ‘top 10 places to visit in Barcelona’ guides or use information from artificial intelligence, which means we fail to truly understand the places we are exploring," he adds.

Another major concern for Milano is the precarious working conditions in the tourism sector. The role of tourist guides clearly illustrates this issue, according to the expert.

"Walking free tours are completely unregulated. Some guides lack proper knowledge of the places where they work and have not studied to be guides; they end up offering tours where the only goal is to leave visitors impressed," he explains.

Milano refers to this as the "wow effect," which has become the sole focus of cultural experiences during trips, meaning the history of the place often goes unexplained.

Another significant problem, according to the expert, is salaries. "There is a structural issue: the average worker in the tourism sector earns €26,500 a year, while in other sectors it's €35,800, 35% more. This is the core of the problem," he concludes.

To learn more about mass tourism and its consequences on locals, listen to this episode of our podcast Filling the Sink.