Catalonia welcomes a record 1.2 million international tourists in November, up 9.7% from 2023

Catalonia saw more than 1.2 million international tourists in November for the first time since records began in 2015, according to provisional data from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).

The Tourist Border Movement Survey (Frontur) recorded 1,256,642 foreign visitors in the month, marking a 9.7% increase compared to November 2023.

Visitors spent an average of €198 per day during their stay, €5 more than the prior year, and stayed in Catalonia for an average of 5.5 days, slightly down from 5.7 days in 2023.

The figures also show growth compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic year.

In November, Catalonia was the main destination for 22.1% of the 5.66 million international tourists coming to Spain, making it the second most popular region. The Canary Islands retained the top spot, as in previous years, with 1,447,566 visitors, while Andalusia ranked third with 777,538 tourists.

Strong year for Catalonia’s tourism sector

With data from January to November, Catalonia remains Spain’s top destination for foreign visitors, welcoming 18,866,490 tourists, 21.3% of the national total.

This figure is on track to approach 20 million for the first time since records were kept.

From January to November, Catalonia saw international tourism grow by 9.9% compared to the same period in 2023.

The Balearic Islands were the second most popular destination with 15.1 million visitors, followed by the Canary Islands (13.8 million) and Andalusia (12.9 million).

The growth in November reflects not only a rebound from 2023’s numbers (1,145,608 visitors) but also an significant increase compared to 2019, when 1,047,153 foreign tourists visited Catalonia in November.

This represents a 20% rise compared to the last pre-pandemic year.

Annual totals for 2024 are also expected to surpass records for both 2023 (17.1 million from January to November) and 2019 (18.4 million for the same period).