Barcelona tourism 'recovered' from La Rambla attacks

Tourism in Barcelona and Catalonia shows no long-term damage from the terrorist attack that struck La Rambla boulevard in the Catalan capital exactly a year ago, on August 17, 2017. That is what officials in the areas of politics and tourism told the Catalan News Agency (ACN) ahead of the first anniversary of the tragic events.

"People have continued coming with total confidence and stability," said the head of a travel agents’ association.

Tourism drop due to terrorism or political turmoil?

Official figures say tourism activity went up in September 2017, compared to 12 months earlier (6.1%), but then dropped in October (4.6%), November (2.3%) and December (13.9%). In the first half of 2018, foreign visitors dropped by 0.8%. 

While officials acknowledge an impact in the aftermath of the attacks, they also say it is difficult to know if the drop was due to the terrorist incidents or the political turmoil that followed last autumn.

"The tourism sector was affected, we had three or four days with significant drops in tourism," says Manel Casals, the director general of the main association representing Barcelona’s hotels. "A lot has happened since then. At the end of 2017 we went through a complicated socio-political situation and even today we are still perceiving the effects of both."