Barcelona continues to advance in its goal of attracting higher quality tourism, with visitors of greater purchasing power who come to the city drawn by its culture. To pursue this goal, the role of hotels is key, as they already perceive "an improvement in the visitor profile" and have closed a year of record turnover, with more than 2.2 billion euros, as detailed by the president of the Gremi d'Hotels, Jordi Clos.
In 2024, this progressive change in profile had its effects: although hotel occupancy slightly decreased to 80.8% ---two points less than in 2023---, it was compensated by the increase in room prices. On average, the price per night climbed to 188 euros, 14 more than the previous year, an increase that was more pronounced in the first half and decreased in the second.
With these prices, the 450 hotels in the city and its surroundings reached this record turnover of 2.2 billion euros, about 12% more than the previous year. And that's only considering rooms, and without contemplating what the establishments billed through their other services, such as their bars and restaurants, as highlighted by Clos alongside the general director of the guild, Manel Casals.
The MWC has reserved more than 21,000 beds in Barcelona hotels"We must highlight the social return that the city's tourism sector provides," defended Clos, who emphasized that work has been done and continues to be done to improve the visitor profile and prioritize a type of tourism that generates fewer inconveniences for residents: "We have stopped having conflicting groups that affect the image of the city", he said in reference to the well-known "drunken tourism."
While this type of visitor is decreasing, other profiles are increasing, those of higher quality that the city seeks: "Having an 80% occupancy, whether decreasing or not decreasing, we can go look for them," according to Clos. The focus is placed, above all, on visitors linked to business tourism, which has registered an "extraordinary development" in 2024.
The Mobile will fill the city
The maximum exponent of this type of tourism will invade the city next week, with the Mobile World Congress (MWC). The international event will occupy more than 21,000 beds out of the 40,000 that hotels in Barcelona and its surroundings have, which will have the rest occupied by regular tourists.
"Especially on Monday and Tuesday, hotels in the city of Barcelona will be full," Casals guaranteed. These more than 21,000 beds reserved through the congress organization's channels are slightly above the 20,000 of last year, while the guild hopes that in the coming years the pre-pandemic figures will be recovered, with a maximum of 25,000 beds.
Events like the Mobile and also the recent America's Cup, according to Casals, contribute to projecting Barcelona to the world, just as he believes the Grand Départ of the Tour de France will, which the city will host in 2026: "We hope that Barcelona continues to bet on this type of sporting events, which should be added to the strategy to improve the visitor profile."
To continue advancing in this direction, Clos and Casals have highlighted the need for the administration to also make "brave decisions, such as the expansion of the airport." And it is that, according to Clos, "it is necessary, although not to increase the number of visitors, but to increase the number of intercontinental visitors, which are the connections that allow Barcelona to be placed in the world."
The guild asks to expand El Prat Airport and reflect on tourist taxationHe has also called on administrations to "reflect on what the tourist asks of the city, such as security, cleanliness and lighting, which are essential factors to improve the profile of our visitor." In this area, he highlighted that the guild has worked to reduce water consumption in hotels, anticipating possible new droughts. According to a Leitat report, the average consumption of a hotel guest in the city in 2023 was 123.8 liters per day, which implieda 24% reduction compared to the previous year.Meanwhile, the guild has asked the administration "to reflect on the taxation of the hotel sector, which is becoming somewhat suffocating."
"Barcelona does not have exclusivity over the type of tourists we want to attract; there are other cities that are betting on the same sector and do not have such a powerful tax burden as we do," Clos emphasized. The president of Derby Hotels Collection also raised the possibility that the maximum acceptable level for the tourist tax has been reached so that it does not harm the sector and, therefore, Barcelona, as "the hotel sector is the linchpin of the city's tourism."