Excitement builds for Tour de France around Catalonia, with hotel occupancy high

Catalonia heads into the week of the Tour de France Grand Départ with great expectation. 

Sports minister Berni Álvarez highlighted the importance of this “top-level sporting event” comparable to very few other sports competitions, and pointed out that they expect an economic return much higher than the costs.

The official indicated that Catalonia paid around €6 million to host the Grande Boucle, plus associated costs, while they expect a return well above €100 million.

The Grand Départ also gives a boost to hoteliers across the territory this week, with Barcelona hotels almost fully booked for the start of the race.

The grand bike race comes after a month of June full of international events, such as the visit of Pope Leo XIV, the Primavera Sound and Sónar music festivals, and the Formula 1 Grand Prix at Montmeló.

Business association Pimec highlights the impact that the cycling race will have in promoting cycle tourism in Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, adding that the economic benefits will also be felt in commerce and the hospitality industry.

The NH hotel located on Rambla de Catalunya, just one block from the central junction between Gran Via and Passeig de Gràcia, are close to 100% occupancy for the days of the Tour, and that they have raised prices after a high demand for the days of the competition.

Other hotels in the Catalan capital have informed the Catalan News Agency that the summer months are “very strong” dates for bookings and, if they have noticed any increase, they do not know how to directly relate it to the Tour, to other events or to the arrival of the holiday period.

In general, however, occupancy rates are similar to last year. 

The general director of the Apartur tourist apartment association, Marian Muro, details that these accommodations are around 80% full for the week of the race, which is actually a decrease compared to the almost 100% occupancy rate in June.

Tarragona

The tourism sector in Tarragona welcomes the arrival of the Tour de France with open arms, believing it will mean a boost for the image of the city.

"It's excellent news," said Berta Cabré, president of the Tarragona Hospitality and Tourism Business Federation. "It's not just what it can produce for us at that moment in terms of visitors, but the image we show the world of our destination," she explained.

This visibility "will generate options for the future," in terms of brand positioning and being able to link the territory with sport, in order to attract tourists from this segment. "We need to position ourselves because we need to deseasonalize," the president explained.

However, they put the economic impact of the race into perspective because in high season their establishments are already full.

Hoteliers are unable to quantify how many visitors they will have, as they argue that the reason for the stay is not specified in the reservations.

Meanwhile, restaurateurs believe that it will mean little income for them, as they suspect that most fans will not eat at the premises, and the City Council states that they will calculate the economic impact once the event is over.

The council estimates that between 60,000 and 80,000 people will take to the streets to see the start of the second stage of the Tour de France, including citizens and visitors who have come from all over especially for the occasion.

The centre of the party will be the Francolí Park, where the organizational core will be installed.

Afterwards, the cyclists will ride about 6km through the city center before taking the N-340 towards Altafulla.

Granollers

Granollers will host the start of the third stage of the Tour on Monday, June 6. It will be the fourth time that the race has passed through the city, but the first time that a stage start has been organized there.

The mayor, Alba Barnusell, points out that it is one of the most followed sporting events in the world and will represent "an opportunity and a challenge" for the city.

For Barnusell, the Tour 2026 is comparable to the 1992 Games, when the Palau d'Esports de Granollers hosted the preliminary handball phase: "It is a projection space to show the world what we are like".

There's a lot of excitement for the race in Granollers, but the organization of an event of these characteristics is also full of uncertainties. One of the main ones is the benefits that such an important, but ephemeral event could end up leaving for the main economic sectors.

"We are excited, when a big event comes, it brings a return," explains the president of the Vallès Oriental Hospitality Association, David Vázquez. However, he assures that few reservations have been made for Monday, July 6, both for hotels in the city and for restaurants.

The association explains that unlike sporting events such as the Granollers Half Marathon or handball matches, which usually bring visitors who make purchases, other more large scale events, such as the Formula 1, do not leave as much money as one might think, especially in the case of restaurants.

However, mayor Barnusell is confident that the large volume of fans expected, as well as all the complementary services of the Tour itself, will guarantee a very positive economic impact: "I am absolutely convinced."