Tourism figures approaches pre-pandemic levels in June, down 6% on 2019

The number of tourists in Catalonia approached pre-pandemic figures in June, reaching a total of 2.16 million. This number was down just 5.9% compared with the same month of 2019 (2.3 million) which is the narrowest gap to date when compared with pre-Covid times.

According to figures published on Friday by the Spanish Statistics Institute, 1.24 million of those visiting last month were internationals, a fourfold increase compared to 12 months before (306,000). Yet, the number of foreign visitors is still 25,000 lower than in 2019.

Catalonia accounts for 17.3% of all tourists who come to Spain, second only to the Balearic Islands in June. Barcelona receives 18.7% of those visiting Catalonia.

Prospects for summer in the sector are good, as a total of 8 million passengers are expected to use Catalonia's airports during the season, twice as many as in 2021 – but still 29% fewer than in 2019 before the pandemic.

Restaurants expect 80% of the business compared to 2019 and accommodation businesses are also optimistic.

"Currently, 95% of hotels are open and at a good occupancy rate, so it seems like it will be a good season," Patrick Torrent, executive director of the Catalan tourism board, told Catalan News in mid-July.

As tourists are returning to the country, the debate over mass tourism in areas such as Barcelona's old town is on again. Have a listen to the recent episode of our podcast Filling the Sink on the subject.