More than last year and more than in 2019, the year of all tourist records in Barcelona. Last February, 892,000 tourists stayed in the city, totaling 2.7 million overnight stays, 14% more than in 2019. The celebration of cultural and sporting events, such as the Llum festival or the half marathon, and large professional events, such as Mobile, boosted the figures, the highest since records began.
In total number of tourists, the figure is 2.2% more than in 2019 (19,646 more visitors) but the large increase occurs in the number of overnight stays, which rise by 14% and with it, the average stay of visitors , which during February was four nights in tourist apartments and 2.6 nights in hotels. Of the total of 892,000 tourists in February, 589,264 stayed in hotels and 247,135 in tourist apartments (the rest in hostels), with an average occupancy of 62% in hotels and 59.2% in apartments.
Almost all the figures increase in the Ciutat de Barcelona Tourist Activity report for February, which the City Council itself has prepared with its own data, the INE and the Tourism Observatory. One of the very few figures that decrease is the comparison between national visitors last February with those of the same month last year, which drops slightly (5.6%). But the overall figure is more than offset by the increase in international visitors (up 10.2%). The other figure that is not growing, breaking the upward trend of recent months, is that of cruise passengers, which registers 74,939 movements, 5.4% less than February of last year.
The report confirms the recovery of pre-pandemic proportions, with 78.4% international visitors and 21.60% national visitors and remains the Spanish city with the most international tourists staying in its hotels and also the one with the most overnight stays. On the other hand, Madrid received more tourists but registered fewer overnight stays.
By origin, during February, French tourists (44,400), followed by Italians and Americans (41,000 each) were the most numerous. In relation to February 2023, the nationalities that grew the most were Asian (140% more visitors came from China, 40% more from Japan and 33.6% more from South Korea), along with Canada and Brazil.
Other February records linked to the tourism sector: the number of passengers at the airport: 3.6 million (16.6% more than in February 2023 and 11.8% more than in February 2019) or the influx to Park Güell. This space sold 338,000 tickets, the highest number in the month of February and to which we must add the 35,000 Barcelona users.
