International tourism volume in Catalonia 2000-2023

Catalonia welcomed more than 18 million international tourists in 2023. Though this figure was still around 6.2 percent below the pre-pandemic levels, it represented a strong increase compared to the previous year. In the last three years of the 2010s, over 19 million foreign travelers visited the Spanish autonomous community annually, which more than doubled its total number of inhabitants. Catalonia is the second most populated autonomous community in Spain.

Catalonia: Spain’s top international tourist hub

Surpassing the Balearic Islands by over one million visitors, the autonomous community located in the northeast of the Spanish territory registered the highest number of international tourists in the European country in 2022. Though much of that tourist surge is driven by the region’s capital, Barcelona, other destinations also attract large numbers of foreign travelers each year. One of them is the “Costa Brava”, a coastal strip stretching between a town north of Barcelona and the French border. The Coast of Girona – as this region is also known – was visited by almost two million international overnight tourists that same year.

How much do visitors to Catalonia spend during their trip?

In recent years, each international traveler visiting the region of Catalonia spent on average around one thousand euros during the entire trip. However, strong differences can be observed depending on the country of origin. For instance, visitors from the Americas needed at least 214 euros per day to cover the whole costs of their travels, while European tourists spent less than that due to the cheaper travel costs to and from Catalonia. Excluding transport and accommodation, food and beverages account for close to 50 percent of the tourists’ daily budget in 2022, as was suggested by a survey carried out in Barcelona.