Catalan hotels welcome more than 1.1 million tourists in 2023 

A total of 1,159,905 tourists stayed at Catalan hotels in 2023, according to the latest data published by the Spanish Statistics Institute (INE).

This is an increase of 6.98% compared to 2022 when Catalonia received a total of 1,085,088, and 2.4% more than in 2019, when 1,132,586 tourists visited.  Hotel prices also rose by 8.89% from 2022 to 2023.

As for overnight stays, a total of 2,523,969 were registered in 2023, which is 4.37% more than in 2022 and 3.66% more than in 2019.

70% of all stays were registered in Barcelona, with 809,007 people staying in hotels, followed by Girona with 161,812, Tarragona with 111,014, and Lleida with 78,072 people.

The hotel occupancy rate reached 45.91%, which is 1.6% more than the same period in 2022.

In December, tourists stayed an average of 2.18 days, slightly less than the 2022 average of 2.23 days.

Foreign travelers

For foreigners, Catalonia was the second most popular destination in Spain, with 15% of all foreign tourists visiting Catalonia. The most popular destination was the Canary Islands, which received almost 50% of all foreign tourists.

For Spanish travelers, Catalonia was the third most popular destination after Andalusia and Madrid.

Tourism sector and drought situation

A Catalan government official has warned that the tourism sector must soon get to grips with the drought situation affecting Catalonia.

The general secretary of Business and Competitiveness, Albert Castellanos, said that the tourism sector, like other economic activities, will have to face the "emergency" situation due to lack of water.

"In this drought situation, which will experience different stages in the coming months, the government believes that we must stand by the business sector to make all the necessary reforms to make a much more efficient use of water," he explained.

Castellanos said that in the coming days, the department of business will present a new line of aid to help the tourism sector improve their efficiency in the use of water in machinery and equipment.