More tourists and more hotels open

The balance for the tourist sector in Barcelona in 2021 shows clear signs of recovery for one of the economic drivers hit hardest by the pandemic. Last year saw hotel occupancy almost return to pre-pandemic levels. The city has recovered 77.6% of its available holiday accommodation places, with 70% of hotel establishments open and the number of tourists staying in the city growing by 65.6% compared to 2020.

The growth in domestic tourism in December stands out, returning to pre-pandemic levels with 144,299 visitors. International tourism accounted for 67% of annual visitors, also showing clear signs of recovery.

Less unemployment in the tourist sector

The recovery is also apparent in employment levels, where a year-on-year drop of 49% in unemployment was recorded in December, making Barcelona the leading city in Spain in terms of reducing unemployment in tourism. In the city as a whole, tourism is the sector experiencing the best recovery when it comes to jobs, with the 91,930 work contracts signed representing 11% of the total.

Perception of tourism among the public

According to data from the survey “Perception of Tourism in Barcelona and Future Expectations”, some 71.4% of citizens think tourism benefits Barcelona and 58.3% believe tourism is the sector which generates the most wealth for the city. Those surveyed were convinced that the pandemic would not mean a change in the city’s role in terms of international tourism, with 87% of the opinion that Barcelona will become a leading destination again.

Boost for tourism in 2022

Turisme de Barcelona has started to roll out the Action Plan 2022, a series of measures to promote tourism in the city and prioritise professional congress tourism, sustainability and the digitalisation of new content promoting gastronomy, wine-tasting, creative arts and heritage.