2.1 million tourists visit Catalonia in August, 10% down from pre-pandemic levels

Catalonia welcomed 2,124,230 international visitors in the month of August, up 11.7% compared to a year ago, but 10.1% below the records seen in 2019,  when 2,363,331 overseas travelers came to our shores.

These figures are according to data released by Spain's National Institute of Statistics. 

Each visitor spent an average of €200 per day, €17 more than in the same month last year and €24 more than in 2019. 

This means that the total expenditure of foreign visitors climbed to €2.784 billion in August, an increase of 15.2% compared to last year, and 0.2% above pre-pandemic records. 

In August, just over one-fifth of travelers visiting Spain came to Catalonia, making the territory the second-most-visited, just behind the Balearic Islands, which welcomed 2.3 million people.

Of the tourists who arrived in Catalonia, 26.5% were French and 12.3% were from the United Kingdom.

The data also indicates that foreign visitors spent more money in Catalonia than in any other region in Spain for all of 2023 so far, with expenditure reaching €14.339 billion.

The average length of stay in Catalonia was 6.5 days, below the records of a year ago. 

Travel agencies increase sales

This summer, 91% of travel agencies that form part of the Acave association saw a 5% increase or more in sales, compared to last year. 

According to a survey released on Tuesday, 50% of its members saw an increase in activity ranging between 5% and 15%, while another 41% have experienced even higher increases. 

The president of the association, Jordi Martí, hopes that this year's summer and autumn data will result in "record figures" that exceeds those from 2019. 

Despite affirming that "travel is one of the priorities" for people, he acknowledged that, despite the positive trend, agencies are noticing a reduction in the amount of time people spend traveling due to inflation and the rise in hotel and transport prices.