The Pope and the Gaudí Year ignite global fascination for the Sagrada Familia

The Sagrada Familia has become the center of global attention with the Pope's visit and the blessing of the basilica's tallest tower, coinciding with the Gaudí Year for the centenary of the architect's death. This interest in the temple is also reflected in figures, such as those from the tourist experience platform GetYourGuide: interest in the Sagrada Familia has increased by 150% compared to last year, while bookings in Barcelona have increased by 23% in the first months of 2026.

Interest in Gaudí, moreover, extends beyond the basilica: on the platform, seven of the ten most booked attractions are currently spaces by the architect, when last year there were five, as explained by the co-founders of the international platform, Johannes Reck and Tao Tao, who clearly see what awakens this enthusiasm for Gaudí: "He was a visionary who inspired many creators who came after him."

"When you visit his works even today, a hundred years after his death, they still seem extraordinarily modern," Reck defends. In this sense, he is not surprised that the Sagrada Familia has become one of the most booked experiences on GetYourGuide, and a reason for tourists to visit the city. Staying in a hotel next to Rosselló street, the two co-founders attended the Pope's visit to the basilica, of which GetYourGuide has been a partner for a decade, both in terms of ticket sales and guided tours.

This activity goes beyond sales in the case of the basilica: "The Sagrada Familia is financed by its visitors. It is maintained thanks to donors and ticket sales. Every person who enters contributes to building it," as Reck recalls. "It is an extraordinary example of how tourism can generate value for a city," and GetYourGuide has also contributed in this regard, managing the sale of millions of tickets during the decade they have been working together: "In a way, we have also contributed to the construction of the temple over the years."

This fascination, moreover, transcends borders, and grows especially in markets such as France, Poland, Brazil, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Australia or Canada, as confirmed by the platform. And not only is the sale of tickets increasing, but, above all, guided tours that seek to delve into the universe of Gaudí and the temple: "Visitors want to delve deeper, learn more and live a richer experience, and connect with the basilica and Gaudí's work," defends Tao from the hotel lobby.

This eagerness to connect and to live experiences is not limited to the Sagrada Familia, but is a widespread trend: "Experiences no longer consist only of visiting iconic places, but also of discovering what lies beneath the surface, learning from local inhabitants or getting to know new trades and traditions," remarks Tao.

GetYourGuide was born precisely from a similar experience, and from a mistake. In 2009, on a student trip to Beijing, Reck made a mistake when booking tickets; he arrived a day before the rest of his classmates, and spent the day practically in the hotel, not knowing where to start discovering the city. Tao was then his classmate and, when he arrived, he guided him through the main attractions of what had been his childhood city.

This coincidence made them realize the value of discovering a place with someone who knows it, and from there the idea of creating a platform that connected travelers with local experiences was born. Considered a unicorn since 2019, the company has become 16 years after its launch one of the major global players in the sector: in 2025 it exceeded 4 billion euros in booking volume made through the platform, reached close to 1 billion euros in revenue and, in addition, became profitable.

"The answer is not less tourism"

"When people travel to Barcelona, they no longer just ask themselves which hotel they will stay in or what they will visit, but they want to truly immerse themselves in the city," adds Reck. The two co-founders agree that tourism must be managed and decentralized: "The answer is not less tourism. What we need is more sustainable and higher quality tourism," Reck points out. With this objective, the platform offers experiences organized by locals that seek to enrich the experience and, at the same time, decentralize tourism.

This vision takes shape in Barcelona in buildings and monuments such as the Sagrada Familia, but also in other initiatives that, in this case, do not focus on the tourist, but on the local visitor. An example are the organized routes by Amics de La Rambla to rediscover the avenue, and to attract Barcelonians back to their most universal street.

Thus, the platform aims both to decentralize tourism and to bring locals back to the center, redefining visitor circuits to make tourism more sustainable, also in a Barcelona that has attracted the attention of the whole world with its Sagrada Familia converted into a lighthouse.