Tourists spend almost €100 more per day in Madrid than in Catalonia

Tourists spent €216 per day during their stays in Catalonia between January and November of last year, 30% lower than in the Community of Madrid, where the average daily spend was €312, according to data from Spain's National Statistics Institute analyzed by the Catalan News Agency (ACN).

In Catalonia, the average spend per trip was €1,189 per person, with an average trip duration of 5.5 days.

In the Madrid region, the average stay is similar – 5.8 days – but the total spending climbs to €1,820 euros.

One factor that can partially explain the difference is that the city of Madrid – with higher prices and more spending possibilities – accounts for a very large portion of tourism in the Madrid region.

On the other hand, despite Barcelona's importance as a tourist destination, visitors to Catalonia are more spread out throughout the region.

To illustrate, over 15% of tourists visiting Catalonia stayed in campsites – a cheaper form of accommodation and one found outside the big cities. In Madrid the figure barely exceeds 2% of tourists.

Tourism growing faster in Madrid

Over the past decade, tourism has grown faster in Madrid (up 40%) than in Catalonia (up 31%), driven by an increase in foreign visitors, who for the first time represent half of its 14 million tourists. 

But Catalonia still attracts a higher percentage of foreigners – 60% of the 26.2 million tourists in 2024.

Catalonia receives the vast majority of its foreign visitors from the rest of Europe – over 83% – while in Madrid the international tourism is more evenly distributed between Europe (64.1%) and America (27.3%).

Visitors from Asia account for slightly more than 4% of all tourists in Catalonia and 6% in the Community of Madrid.

Fitur: Catalonia as a foodie destination

Meanwhile, Catalonia hopes to establish itself as a benchmark for gastronomic tourism at the International Tourism Fair (Fitur) held in Madrid from Wednesday to Sunday.

Celebrating Catalonia's designation as a World Region of Gastronomy 2025, the Catalan Tourist Board will organize a cocktail party with big names in Catalan cuisine at Madrid's Royal Tapestry Factory, with President Salvador Illa, and Spain's Minister of Industry and Tourism, Jordi Hereu, in attendance.

The Catalan stand at the fair will promote family, sports, and cultural tourism, highlighting events around the 50th anniversary of the Miró Foundation and the Millenium celebrations of Montserrat Abbey.