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Foreign tourists. By country of residence

Foreign tourists. By country of residence Catalonia Value
Total Germany Belgium France Ireland Italy Netherlands Nordic countries Portugal United Kingdom Russia Switzerland Rest of Europe Argentina Brazil Canada United States Rest of America Japan China Rest of the world
2023 18,182.6 1,386.1 407.3 3,725.0 368.6 1,259.4 752.9 563.9 295.0 1,797.8 146.0 325.8 2,380.1 141.1 176.5 308.9 1,594.1 520.4 181.4 190.8 1,661.6
2022 14,852.0 1,211.2 323.6 3,418.3 348.4 1,036.8 665.7 566.6 162.0 1,453.3 126.7 306.9 2,058.6 125.9 133.6 149.2 1,162.6 469.8 58.8 24.6 1,049.5
2021 5,787.8 499.1 171.8 1,896.8 89.3 418.3 357.6 193.4 72.6 284.7 55.5 155.5 862.8 15.4 23.7 36.1 245.7 138.8 12.3 7.0 (*) Estimate with high variability 251.6
2020 3,870.3 227.9 77.1 1,315.9 27.8 196.6 142.5 77.5 45.4 280.1 82.4 44.4 575.3 38.4 56.5 44.5 148.2 95.9 62.3 59.0 272.6
2019 19,375.2 1,431.9 369.6 4,083.0 365.0 1,202.8 746.9 573.8 188.9 2,015.5 795.2 309.3 2,356.9 209.9 245.1 225.0 1,507.0 490.2 366.3 351.6 1,541.2
2018 19,196.3 1,413.2 400.3 4,166.0 309.3 1,183.7 733.6 720.2 187.4 2,106.3 727.8 245.4 2,398.2 259.4 197.5 219.0 1,374.5 403.1 294.9 294.5 1,562.0
2017 19,118.4 1,568.9 446.6 4,487.1 300.3 1,208.9 785.3 785.2 174.0 2,174.7 701.6 399.2 2,082.2 280.6 176.9 221.5 1,114.2 375.9 235.3 252.0 1,347.9
2016 18,139.2 1,538.6 435.2 4,574.4 353.9 1,189.1 737.5 744.5 215.7 2,061.0 561.5 323.3 1,985.8 188.2 166.6 168.0 864.1 314.1 263.8 198.1 1,256.0
Units: Thousands.
Source: Idescat, based on data of the INE's Tourist Movement on Borders Survey and Tourist Expenditure Survey.
Notes:
Between 14 March and 21 June 2020, it is in force the Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, which declares the state of alarm for the management of the health crisis situation caused by Covid-19.
Rates of variation for 2016 are chained rates provided by the INE.
Starting in January 2016, Idescat has been publishing, on a yearly basis, information on foreign tourists whose main destination is Catalonia. Before said date, all information was referred to foreign tourists who visited Catalonia as either their main or secondary destination.
(*) Estimate with high variability.
Foreign tourists. By country of residence Spain Value
Total Germany Belgium France Ireland Italy Netherlands Nordic countries Portugal United Kingdom Russia Switzerland Rest of Europe Argentina Brazil Canada United States Rest of America Japan China Rest of the world
2023 85,169.1 10,989.7 2,758.7 11,768.3 2,476.1 4,849.7 4,320.6 4,795.7 2,802.8 17,262.3 .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available 2,002.2 7,895.2 572.3 565.8 653.6 3,835.9 2,843.0 310.5 388.5 4,078.1
2022 71,659.3 9,768.6 2,513.4 10,096.0 2,089.5 4,011.1 3,923.1 4,291.2 2,415.9 15,121.9 31.5 1,654.7 280.2 495.4 347.8 380.1 6,545.8 1,578.2 2,837.0 124.3 596.6
2021 31,180.8 5,208.9 1,464.1 5,822.7 631.3 1,703.4 2,048.9 1,839.7 1,193.6 4,302.6 134.2 945.7 2,991.4 64.3 139.9 139.4 797.8 725.7 29.4 29.1 968.5
2020 18,933.1 2,391.4 743.4 3,887.8 329.0 947.4 918.4 1,175.3 762.4 3,150.2 156.0 397.1 1,692.1 162.3 167.2 115.1 405.8 470.0 112.9 134.6 814.7
2019 83,509.2 11,158.0 2,525.9 11,147.4 2,177.6 4,534.5 3,684.3 5,530.1 2,428.8 18,012.5 1,314.1 1,811.9 6,441.4 721.7 564.9 450.7 3,324.9 2,030.1 677.7 700.7 4,272.2
2018 82,808.4 11,415.0 2,505.1 11,293.3 2,053.4 4,389.5 3,855.3 5,803.5 2,344.3 18,524.0 1,227.5 1,883.1 6,003.6 710.4 560.9 445.8 2,959.5 1,693.9 547.2 646.4 3,946.7
2017 81,868.5 11,897.4 2,474.7 11,267.3 2,046.1 4,222.9 3,704.5 5,826.5 2,137.9 18,806.8 1,150.1 2,059.2 5,543.0 746.5 467.5 488.2 2,637.5 1,526.3 444.5 514.8 3,906.8
2016 75,315.0 11,208.7 2,301.6 11,258.5 1,808.5 3,969.3 3,355.0 5,129.0 1,996.2 17,675.4 1,004.6 1,703.5 5,027.0 562.7 372.8 390.8 2,001.8 1,245.9 463.4 374.8 3,465.7
Units: Thousands.
Source: INE. Tourist Movement on Borders Survey.
Notes:
Between 14 March and 21 June 2020, it is in force the Royal Decree 463/2020, of 14 March, which declares the state of alarm for the management of the health crisis situation caused by Covid-19.
From January 2022, Turkey is added to "Rest of Europe"
(..) Confidential data, low reliability or not available.

Last update: March 13, 2024.

Methodological note

Foreign Tourism in Catalonia involves data processed by Idescat based on the Survey of Tourist Movement on Borders (Frontur) and Survey of Tourist Expenditure (Egatur) from the INE.

Its goal is to measure, on a monthly basis, the number of visitors living abroad, in accordance with access routes and type of visitor, and reveal the main attributes of said trips.

This statistic encompasses the trips taken by international tourists and excursionistsaccording to the country where they normally reside(that is, the trips taken by travellers whose usual country of residence is outside Spain, regardless of their nationality).

Tourists are those people who travel to a main destination outside their usual environment, involving at least one overnight stay, for a duration of less than one year and when the main reason for the visit (including business, leisure and other personal reasons) is not connected with a job in a company established in the location visited.

Excursionists are those people who travel to a main destination outside their usual environment, involving no overnight stay. Said visits must meet the following characteristics:

  • The point of departure must be the person's usual environment.
  • The visit cannot be part of the person's daily routine.
  • It must have a duration of at least three hours.
  • Its frequency must be less than once per week.

Up until the third quarter of 2015, the Spanish Institute of Tourism was in charge of producing the Survey of Tourist Movement on Borders (Frontur) and the Survey of Tourist Expenditure (Egatur). Starting in the last quarter of 2015, the body in charge of said operations is the INE. Said shift of responsibilities also entailed a change in the design and methodology of the surveys, which means the data will not be entirely comparable to previous series.

Said methodology is expanded in Foreign Tourism.