There was a time when every record tourist arrival in Barcelona was received by all agents in the sector as a victory. No one dared to define the limits. But both the political institutions and many of those who make a living from this essential economic activity have definitively changed the discourse from quantity to “quality”. The latest proof of this change are the words of the president of the Barcelona Hotel Guild, Jordi Clos, in the summer season review press conference. “We are in a moment of maturity that allows us to prioritize quality over quantity”, said the representative of the hotel management.
The guild departs from the discourse of visitor records just at the moment when the establishments of the city have obtained a turnover as never before, thanks to the high occupation of the available places in the months of July and August and, above all, to the high prices of the rooms.
“We will close the financial year with a global turnover significantly or quite higher than that of 2019”, acknowledged Clos. Barcelona’s hotels have registered 82.68% occupancy in the first eight months of 2023, 1.2 points less than the year before the pandemic. But the average price has risen to 174.15 euros, 33.2 more than in 2019.
The remaining months of 2023 and 2024 may be just as good thanks to growth in business tourism, fairs and conventions. Clos specified, however, that the record is for income, not visitors or profits, due to factors such as the increase in costs (of energy, food and structural) and, as pointed out by the general director of the guild, Manel Casals, because the credits that had to be requested to face the losses caused by covid still weigh on the income statement – and will continue to weigh until 2030.
The president of the Hotel Association congratulated himself on the visitor profile the city receives: a traveler with high purchasing power who arrives in Barcelona attracted by sporting, cultural events and major fairs.
The change to the mayor’s office has been welcomed with undisguised satisfaction by the union, which did not exactly maintain a fluid and friendly relationship with the City Council during Ada Colau’s eight years at the head of the municipal government. Jordi Clos yesterday reiterated his offer of collaboration to Mayor Jaume Collboni on the basis that Barcelona needs to achieve “a quality tourist product, creating new tourist ideas and providing spaces with little concentration beyond the municipal limits”. And promoting a “cultural offer on par with the main European cities in this area”.
