Catalonia welcomes 9m foreign visitors in first half of 2024, a 12% increase

Catalonia received 9.1 million foreign visitors between January and June 2024, marking a 12.4% increase compared to the same period last year, according to provisional data from Spain's National Statistics Institute (INE).

In June alone, 2 million foreign tourists visited Catalonia, representing a 10% increase from the same month last year.

Compared to other regions in Spain, Catalonia remains the top destination for international tourists.

Across Spain, there were 42.5 million foreign visitors in the first half of the year, an increase of 13%. Of these, 21% visited Catalonia.

The average length of stay for tourists across Spain was between four and seven nights. There was a notable rise of 27% in tourist rental homes and a slight increase of 8% for hotels.

Notably, 17% of all international visitors to Spain stayed in non-commercial accommodation, such as the homes of family or friends and other unregulated types.

Most visitors came from the United Kingdom, with 8.5 million visitors in the first six months of the year, a significant 10% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

€248 per person per day

In Catalonia, foreign visitors spent an average of €1,263 per person in June, a 2.5% increase compared to the same month last year.

The daily spend was €248, similar to the previous period, but the average length of stay slightly increased to five days.

Overall, tourists who visited Catalonia in June spent a total of €2.5 billion, almost 13% more than the same month in 2023.