According to the international ranking of tourists who visited Barcelona during 2022, Americans led the visits with 802,545 travelers to the city.
This was followed by France with 664,972, the United Kingdom, Italy and Germany.
As for the countries that decreased in percentage of their tourists to Barcelona, Japan was the country that presented the biggest drop with 83% less tourists than before the pandemic, followed by Russia with 68.8% less and China with 66%.
In this way, Barcelona resurfaces in 2022 with a total balance of 10 million tourists and, as the days go by, it is getting closer to the recovery of the sector.
Overseas and U.S. travelers led tourism in 2022
In fact, 79% of visitors to the Catalan capital in 2022 were international, a figure that contrasts with the national average of 48%.
Thanks to these figures, Barcelona has managed to recover the tourist pulse lost as a result of the pandemic.
In summary, during 2022 the city of Barcelona accommodated 9.7 million tourists in homes and hotels, which represented double the amount received in 2021.
This figure is equivalent to 81.2% of the volume recorded in 2019, a year in which Barcelona broke the tourism record.
Nearly 30 million overnight stays were recorded, which is close to 91% of what was achieved during 2019.
Likewise, during the past year, a growth in the length of stay in hotels was achieved, from 2.7 nights in the pre-pandemic year to an estimated 3.1 nights in 2022.
Total tourist spending in the city exceeded €7.6 billion (just 9% below 2019 spending).
And as for the Catalan counties, during 2022 they received 14.9 million foreign visitors, leading the Spanish ranking.
In general terms, Barcelona has once again positioned itself as the preferred tourist enclave for international travelers.
Perception of tourism in Barcelona
This is the latest survey conducted to measure the sector’s valuation.
Thus, 67.1% of the residents believe that tourism brings good benefits to the city and 80.6% believe that it can generate economic and job opportunities.
However, showing the other side of the coin, 67.9% of the people surveyed link tourism with high pressure on public space, and 54.5% state that it is not at all beneficial for the development of local commerce.
Such is the case, that in the Catalan capital there are frequently important mobilizations against tourist activity in the city.
But still, the general perception is that tourism is a wonderful source of income for the city, which in fact, is ranked as one of the best in Europe.
