Girona, january 2016

According to the Government of Catalonia’s Business and Labour Observatory, Catalonia received 17.4 million foreign tourists (3.7% more than 2013) in 2015, who spent over €15.63bn (a 3.4% year-over-year increase). By markets, France is still the destination’s biggest source market with a total of 28.6% of the tourists who visited the region over the year. The number of tourists from other major markets has also increased, including those visiting from the United States (25.9%), France (8.2%), the UK (6.5%) and the rest of Europe. The source market with the biggest decrease in tourists was Russia, down to 31% from 2014.

Tourism in the low season showed stronger growth than in the high season with a clear trend towards year-round tourism.

The Girona region and its Costa Brava and Pirineu de Girona brands registered 4,645,763 foreign tourists in 2015 (up 3.32% from 2014) and 18.9 million overnight stays (2.83% more than in 2014), excluding those in tourist apartments.