Catalan hotels welcome nearly 1 million travelers in January

In January 2024, Catalan hotels welcomed a total of 993,768 guests, 3.4% more than in January last year, according to the latest data from the Spanish Statistics Institute (INE). 

Foreigners accounted for 59% of all visitors in January, with the rest coming from Spain. 

With these figures, Catalan hotels have not yet fully bounced back to the pre-pandemic figures of over 1 million visitors in January 2020, although the number of overnight stays has slightly increased by 0.1% in January 2024 compared to 2020. 

At the same time, overnight visitors to Catalonia stayed longer in January 2024 than before the pandemic, with the average length of stay increasing from 2.23 nights to 2.32 nights. 

According to the INE, Catalonia was the second most visited destination in Spain by foreign visitors in January, receiving 14% of all visitors, after the Canary Islands, which received 52% of all foreign guests.   

For Spanish residents, Catalonia was the third most visited place in January 2024. 

In terms of accommodation prices, Catalonia saw an increase of 10% in January, higher than the Spanish average of 7.6%, according to the INE.