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Foreign tourists. By country of residence

Foreign tourists. By country of residence Catalonia. January, 2026 (p)
Year-over-year variation
Value % over total Absolute % month % accumulated
Total 1,010.9 100.0 -67.0 -6.2 -6.2
Germany 66.6 6.6 20.2 43.6 43.6
Belgium 19.1 1.9 0.1 0.6 0.6
France 152.5 15.1 -119.1 -43.8 -43.8
Ireland 14.9 1.5 0.0 -0.3 -0.3
Italy 93.0 9.2 -16.1 -14.7 -14.7
Netherlands 23.7 2.3 -11.6 -32.8 -32.8
Nordic countries 18.0 1.8 5.8 47.2 47.2
Portugal 40.6 4.0 19.7 94.5 94.5
United Kingdom 64.3 6.4 1.7 2.8 2.8
Russia 10.6 (*) Estimate with high variability 1.0 (*) Estimate with high variability -1.4 (*) Estimate with high variability -11.8 (*) Estimate with high variability -11.8 (*) Estimate with high variability
Switzerland 15.5 1.5 -20.0 -56.3 -56.3
Rest of Europe 193.7 19.2 38.6 24.9 24.9
United States 59.6 5.9 1.6 2.7 2.7
Rest of America 87.6 8.7 8.7 11.0 11.0
Rest of the world 151.1 14.9 4.7 3.2 3.2
Units: Thousands.
Source: Idescat, based on the INE's Tourist Movement on Borders Survey and Tourist Expenditure Survey.
(p) Provisional data.
(*) Estimate with high variability.
Foreign tourists. By country of residence Spain. January, 2026 (p)
Year-over-year variation
Value % over total Absolute % month % accumulated
Total 5,127.3 100.0 60.3 1.2 1.2
Germany 527.3 10.3 -10.5 -2.0 -2.0
Belgium 137.0 2.7 -11.5 -7.8 -7.8
France 517.8 10.1 -125.3 -19.5 -19.5
Ireland 173.4 3.4 10.1 6.2 6.2
Italy 367.7 7.2 27.6 8.1 8.1
Netherlands 230.1 4.5 3.5 1.5 1.5
Nordic countries 354.1 6.9 6.1 1.8 1.8
Portugal 184.9 3.6 31.2 20.3 20.3
United Kingdom 897.1 17.5 28.6 3.3 3.3
Russia .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available .. Confidential data, low reliability or not available
Switzerland 106.8 2.1 0.8 0.8 0.8
Rest of Europe 635.7 12.4 46.4 7.9 7.9
United States 199.2 3.9 6.1 3.2 3.2
Rest of America 431.4 8.4 50.1 13.2 13.2
Rest of the world 364.7 7.1 -2.8 -0.8 -0.8
Units: Thousands.
Source: INE. Tourist Movement on Borders Survey.
Note: From March 2022, Russia is added to "Rest of Europe"
(p) Provisional data.
(..) Confidential data, low reliability or not available.

Last update: March 4, 2026. Revised series on March 11, 2026. Next update: April 1, 2026 Calendari

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.

For further information about these statistics, you may check the methodology.