Madrid was the most visited city destination in Spain in 2023, having welcomed nearly ** million overnight visitors. The Catalonian capital followed second in the ranking that year, with roughly *** million tourists spending at least one night in the destination. How did Madrid rank in tourist visits and accommodation? In 2022, Madrid attracted over 4.5 million domestic and 4.6 million international tourists for stays exceeding one day, despite experiencing a more than 10 percent decrease compared to 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Furthermore, the Spanish capital has consistently ranked among the top ten European cities with the highest number of nights spent by tourists in paid accommodation, securing the 8th position that year. Which regions attracted the most international tourists? Spain's international tourism rebounded strongly from the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, surpassing 100 million visitors in 2022. Catalonia led as the most visited region, attracting over **** million international tourists. The United Kingdom played a pivotal role as the primary source of international tourists, contributing over ** million travelers, followed by France with around ** million visitors.

In 2024, Barcelona received the largest number of international tourists staying at hotel establishments in Spain, with nearly *************. The Spanish capital followed, with a little almost *** million foreign hotel guests.

In 2024, Catalonia was the most visited region by international tourists in Spain. This Spanish autonomous community ranked first thanks to the almost ** million people visiting from abroad, roughly **** million more than the visitors welcomed in the insular communities.

Forecast: Bed Places Number in Tourist Accommodation Establishments in Spain 2024 - 2028 Discover more data with ReportLinker!

In 2023, London played a prominent role in supporting international tourism in the United Kingdom. That year, the UK's capital accounted for roughly ** percent of all inbound tourist arrivals in the country. Meanwhile, Paris represented around ** percent of the international arrivals to France, whereas travelers to Barcelona made up ** percent of inbound tourist arrivals in Spain in 2023. What are the most visited European cities? When looking at the number of inbound tourist arrivals to leading travel destinations in Europe, Paris and Île-de-France, the region surrounding the French capital, recorded the highest figure in 2023, with nearly ** million arrivals. London and Istanbul, also among the leading city tourism destinations in Europe based on the number of bed nights, followed in the ranking that year, with over ** million and ** million inbound tourist arrivals, respectively. What are the most visited European countries? Both before and after the impact of the health crisis, France was the most visited European country by international travelers. In 2023, it reported *** million inbound arrivals, ranking ahead of Spain, Italy, and Turkey. On the other hand, Spain was the European country with the highest number of inbound tourism receipts, followed by the United Kingdom.

The Basílica de la Sagrada Familia, located in Barcelona, was the most popular tourist attraction in Spain as of October 2021, with more than *********** mentions on Instagram. Granada's La Alhambra ranked second in that month. La Sagrada Família was the most visited tourist attraction in Barcelona in 2020, welcoming more than *** thousand people.

In 2024, more than 71 percent of the Spanish population surveyed said that the bedroom was their favorite place to have sex. With 11.5 percent, the living room was the second place mentioned by Spaniards, while over six percent said they preferred hotels.

Barcelona’s most popular tourist attraction in 2023 was the Basílica de la Sagrada Família, registering approximately *** million visitors. With a difference of less than 100,000 visitors, Park Güell followed second in the ranking that year. Both monuments, created by the world-renowned architect Antoni Gaudí, are landmarks of the city. The Basilica: Gaudí’s most famous work The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, as this Catholic temple is officially known, was declared a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO in 1984. Its construction had begun around a century earlier but remains unfinished since the project is solely funded by private donors. The completion date, planned for 2026 as commemoration for the 100 years of Gaudí’s death, will have to be postponed due to the suspension of the construction works during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Prior to the global health crisis, La Sagrada Família received more than *** million visitors annually. COVID-19 impact on tourism in Barcelona As a result of being a major tourist hotspot for travelers worldwide, Barcelona’s tourism sector experienced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. For instance, the number of tourists staying in Barcelona’s hotels decreased by over ***** million during the global health crisis. Due to lower tourist demand, the number of hotels open in Barcelona also contracted, from *** in 2019 to *** in 2020. With less than ** million passengers recorded at Barcelona Airport in 2020, down from roughly ** million travelers in 2019, the airport reached a two-decade low in traveler numbers during the pandemic.

The number of international overnight tourists in the Community of Madrid, Spain amounted to approximately *** million in 2023. Madrid: a top European city destination Madrid has been among the ten European cities with the highest number of nights spent by tourists in paid accommodation for the last three years. In 2021, the Spanish capital made it to the 5th position. In 2022 and the years prior to the global health crisis, international tourism had accounted for the largest number of overnight tourists in Madrid. Tourists in Madrid spent more than in other Spanish regions The average travel spending of international visitors in the Community of Madrid was higher than in the other ** autonomous communities of Spain in 2022, amounting to ***** euros for the entire trip. Looking at the daily expenditure, foreign visitors in this Spanish region needed *** euros per person on average in 2022, which was around ** percent more than the per capita daily spend recorded a year earlier.

****************** was the main country of origin for international tourism in Spain in 2024. In that year, more than ** million ******* travelers headed South for a trip to Spain. Meanwhile, ****** ranked in second place that year, accounting for around ** million foreign visitors to Spanish territory.

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Mallorca received more than 13 million hotel guests in 2023, which was the highest number registered that year among popular beach destinations in Spain. Barcelona and its coast followed in the ranking, with around 12.6 million tourists at hotel establishments.

In a survey conducted by BVA in 2015, most of French people chose New York City as the foreign city they would like to visit on holiday. The Big Apple remains popular in France, despite being one of the most expensive holiday destinations in the world in 2018. New York City’s famous architecture, as well as the Statue of Liberty or Central Park, keep attracting thousands of French who want to discover the city that never sleeps.

The French dream of distant cities

It appears that when it comes to popular foreign cities, French tourists seem to have a clear preference for cities which are far from home. In this ranking, New York was followed by Sydney and Montreal. This trend follows another a ranking from 2015 about the most attractive countries for holiday. According to the French, the United States was ranked first, before Canada and Australia. However, the French are still able to dream of their European neighbors. Florence, Barcelona and Rome were among the most popular cities according to French tourists. Mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy or Portugal were also among the destinations French people considered going to for summer holidays. Proximity, organization and price explain why, even if the French dream of holidays on the other side of the world, they tend to spend their holidays in Europe or even in their own country.

Reasons for travelling in France when you are French

Some regions in France, because of their pleasant living environment or their closeness to the sea, are among the most popular for French tourists. Corsica, Brittany and Provence-Alpes Côte d’Azur are three very famous tourist destinations in the country. It also seems that French tourists like to spend their holidays with family of friends, which could explain why most French people plan holiday trips in their own country.

The revenue generated by hotels and accommodation establishments in Spain through online sales in 2023 amounted to approximately 3.3 billion euros, a growth of roughly 6.5 percent over the previous year. The general past trend of this Spanish industry's e-commerce revenue was steady growth, except for a pronounced drop in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In 2023, most of tourists surveyed in Barcelona, Spain were visiting the city for the first time. Moreover, around ** percent of respondents said to be in that destination for the third time. The largest share of visitors to the Catalonian capital are men.

Booking was the most popular online travel agency among tourists who used such websites to plan their trips to Barcelona, Spain, in 2024. Overall, around one-quarter of respondents reported having chosen that platform. Tripadvisor was second in that year, according to the survey.OTAs were the most popular tool to plan a trip to the Spanish city in that year.

The number of international tourist arrivals in Europe rose significantly in 2023 compared to the previous year across all the most visited destinations in the region. Overall, France was the most visited country by inbound travelers in Europe in 2023. That year, France - which also topped the ranking of the countries with the highest number of international tourist arrivals worldwide - reported *** million international tourist arrivals, the highest figure recorded by the destination to date. Spain, Italy, and Turkey followed on the list in 2023. Europe is the most popular region for inbound tourism Europe is the region with the highest number of inbound tourism arrivals worldwide, with over *** million arrivals in 2023. Comparatively, there were nearly *** million international tourist arrivals in Asia and the Pacific, the second-most visited global region by inbound travelers that year. When breaking down the number of inbound arrivals in Europe by sub-region, Southern and Mediterranean countries reported the highest figures, both before and after the impact of COVID-19. Travel & Tourism Development Index France and Spain, among the most popular travel destinations in Europe in terms of inbound arrivals, were also among the leading countries in the Travel & Tourism Development Index (TTDI). The TTDI index measures factors and policies that support a sustainable and resilient development of travel and tourism worldwide. In 2023, Spain ranked first with a TTDI score of ****, followed by France and Germany.

In 2024, visiting cultural sites were the most popular activity among tourists in Barcelona. According to a survey carried out in the Spanish city, nearly 80 percent of respondents ate out during their trip. Shopping and going to the beach were the second and third most common plans for visitors in Catalonia's capital.

In 2024, approximately *** million tourists stayed in hotels when visiting the Spanish city of Barcelona, which represents an improvement from the previous year and it continues the recovery from COVID-19. In the last two years of the 2010s, the city's hotel industry had hosted more than **** million guests annually. Hotel categories in Barcelona The capital of the Catalonian region had more than *** operating hotels at the end of 2024, of which around one-third fell under the four-star category. The Mandarin Oriental – which was one of the ** luxury hotels in the city that year – was chosen by participants of an online survey as the best hotel in Barcelona. Main source markets for hotels In 2022, Spanish residents accounted for ** percent of overnight tourists in Barcelonian hotels – leveling to pre-pandemic figures. During the global crisis, the share of domestic hotel guests in the Catalonian city increased. The most popular countries of origin among hotel guests in 2022 were the United States and France.

Spain was the most visited country by residents of the United Kingdom in 2023, with approximately ***** million visits. This figure was marginally lower than in 2019, prior to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Meanwhile, ************************* followed in the 2023 rankings; of these, only ****** reported a higher number of visits that year compared to pre-pandemic levels. Spain still a favorite among UK holidaymakers Spain has become a firm favorite among holiday travelers from Britain, as it continually lists as the most visited holiday destination abroad. Beach holidays are popular among Brits in search of warmer climates, and the relative ease and cheapness of package holidays to the Mediterranean make it possible. Along with ******************, the UK is one of the key inbound travel markets for Spain. Outbound tourism from the UK during the COVID-19 pandemic As suggested by the figures recorded by the leading outbound travel destinations, the number of visits abroad from the United Kingdom rebounded in 2022 but had not yet caught up with pre-pandemic levels as of 2023, totaling around ** million that year. As the volume of visits bounced back, the outbound tourism expenditure in the UK also experienced a sharp annual increase in 2022 and in fact exceeded pre-pandemic levels in 2023.