Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain, scores 65 on the CIRA Index of tourism resilience, #97 of 309 destinations. 34 of 35 measures come from public sources, with 89% confidence. Every grade below states its value, period and source.

Scores by each organisation's criteria

CIRA Index: 65
OECD: 65
UN Tourism: 66
UNDRR: 70

Strongest

Nights in the three busiest months: 29.8 % of annual nights (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) / Idescat, Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4.
Largest foreign market: 12 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). At or below 15: grade 4/4.
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 80.1 % average annual occupancy (Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona, Valoració tancament any 2025 i perspectives 2026, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4.

Weakest

Domestic share of nights: 12.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Barcelona Dades (Ajuntament de Barcelona / INE), 2024). Below 15: grade 0/4.
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4.
Largest airline group share: 44.7 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 40 and 55: grade 1/4.

Spain in the World Economic Forum Travel & Tourism Development Index

Spain is #3 of 110 countries (5.22 of 7) in the WEF Travel & Tourism Development Index 2026, which scores countries, not cities. Cities in countries with that WEF score average 69 on the CIRA Index; Barcelona is 4 below that.

Every measure, by theme

Demand and seasonality: 71

Nights in the three busiest months: 29.8 % of annual nights (INE (Instituto Nacional de Estadística) / Idescat, Encuesta de Ocupación Hotelera, 2024). At or below 30: grade 4/4. Source
Domestic share of nights: 12.6 % of nights by residents of the same country (Barcelona Dades (Ajuntament de Barcelona / INE), 2024). Below 15: grade 0/4. Source
Largest foreign market: 12 % of international arrivals or nights (INE, foreign tourists by municipality and country of residence (mobile-phone positioning, table 52048), 2025). At or below 15: grade 4/4. Source
Recovery against 2019: 104 % of 2019 visitor nights reached in the latest full year (region figure) (Observatori del Turisme a Barcelona: ciutat i regió (OTB), Press Release February 2025, 2024). Between 100 and 110: grade 3/4. Source
Average length of stay: 2.6 nights per visitor (Observatori del Turisme a Barcelona: ciutat i regió (OTB) / UN Tourism INSTO, 2023 Progress Report, 2023). Between 2.2 and 2.8: grade 2/4. Source
Hotel bed or room occupancy: 80.1 % average annual occupancy (Gremi d'Hotels de Barcelona, Valoració tancament any 2025 i perspectives 2026, 2025). At or above 75: grade 4/4. Source

Economy and jobs: 58

Jobs in tourism industries: not measured yet
Unemployment rate: 8.4 % of the labour force (Ajuntament de Barcelona - Oficina Municipal de Dades (OMD) / INE, Enquesta de Població Activa (EPA), Q2 2026). Between 8 and 12: grade 2/4. Source
Income per head: 59,868 GDP per capita, USD PPP (country figure) (World Bank WDI, 2025). Between 45,000 and 60,000: grade 3/4. Source
Economic diversity: 70.1 % of employment outside accommodation, food, retail and transport (region figure) (Idescat (Institut d'Estadística de Catalunya), Anuari estadístic de Catalunya, 2023). Between 64 and 72: grade 2/4. Source

Climate and hazards: 60

Extreme heat days: 1 days a year at or above 35°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). At or below 5: grade 4/4. Source
Tropical nights: 71.2 nights a year with a minimum at or above 20°C (last 5 full years) (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2021–2025). Between 60 and 100: grade 1/4. Source
Flood hazard: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
Wildfire and storm hazard: high (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 1/4. Source
Country disaster risk: 2.5 INFORM Risk index, 0–10 (country figure) (INFORM Risk (European Commission JRC), INFORM Risk Mid 2026, 2026). Between 2 and 3.5: grade 3/4. Source

Water and environment: 69

Water scarcity: low (region figure) (World Bank GFDRR ThinkHazard, current (retrieved 2026)). Grade 3/4. Source
Wastewater safely treated: 81.2 % of domestic wastewater safely treated (country figure) (United Nations Statistics Division / WHO / UN-Habitat SDG 6.3.1 Database, 2022). Between 70 and 85: grade 2/4. Source
Municipal waste per resident: 444.3 kg per resident per year (metro figure) (Àrea Metropolitana de Barcelona (AMB), 2023). Between 350 and 450: grade 3/4. Source
Green space: 35 % of the urban area that is green or tree-covered (European Environment Agency (EEA) / Climate-ADAPT, 2024). Between 30 and 40: grade 3/4. Source

Community and housing: 45

Tourism intensity: 12.7 visitor nights per resident per year (Barcelona Dades & Ajuntament de Barcelona - Oficina Municipal de Dades, 2024). Between 10 and 20: grade 2/4. Source
Cruise pressure: 0.3 cruise passengers in the busiest month per resident (Puertos del Estado, monthly port traffic summaries ("Cuadros resumen", cruise passengers incl. home port and transit), 2025-05). Between 0.3 and 0.5: grade 1/4. Source
Rent growth: 9.7 % change in rents over the last 12 months (Generalitat de Catalunya / INCASÒL (Institut Català del Sòl), Q1 2024). Between 6 and 10: grade 2/4. Source
Short-let density: 1.3 short-term rental listings per 100 dwellings (Ajuntament de Barcelona & Inside Airbnb / Mabrian, 2024). Between 1 and 2: grade 2/4. Source
Resident support for tourism: 59.6 % of residents who say tourism benefits them or the city (Observatori del Turisme a Barcelona (OTB) / Ajuntament de Barcelona, 2024 Barcelona Tourism Activity Report, 2024). Between 50 and 60: grade 2/4. Source

Access and continuity: 75

Access redundancy: 4 independent ways in: international airport, intercity rail, port, motorway (Port de Barcelona / Aena / Renfe / Mitma, 2026). At or above 4: grade 4/4. Source
Air traffic recovery: 111.9 % of the same 12 months of 2019, airport passengers (Eurostat avia_paoa, 2025-04–2026-03). At or above 110: grade 4/4. Source
Rail share of intercity access: 20.2 % of intercity passengers travelling by long-distance rail (rail vs rail + airport) (Ministerio de Transportes, Observatorio del Ferrocarril en España 2024 (rail, by city) and Eurostat avia_paoa (airport), 2024). Between 20 and 35: grade 2/4. Source
Rail traffic recovery: 141.2 % of 2019 long-distance rail passengers, latest year (Ministerio de Transportes, Observatorio del Ferrocarril en España 2024, passengers by city 2019 and 2024, 2024). At or above 120: grade 4/4. Source
Largest airline group share: 44.7 % of airport passengers carried by the largest airline group (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 40 and 55: grade 1/4. Source
Air route concentration: 35.4 % of international air passengers on routes to the 3 largest partner countries (Aena, detailed traffic statistics (passengers by airline, route and country), Sep 2025 – Aug 2026). Between 35 and 50: grade 3/4. Source
Early warning and emergency plan: An updated city plan with public early warning for heat, flood or fire (Ajuntament de Barcelona - Protecció Civil, 2025–2026). Grade 3/4. Source
Tourism crisis and recovery plan: A written destination crisis plan (Ajuntament de Barcelona - Àrea d'Economia i Promoció Econòmica, 2024–2026). Grade 2/4. Source
Government effectiveness: 83 World Bank WGI percentile rank, 0–100 (country figure) (World Bank Worldwide Governance Indicators, 2025). At or above 80: grade 4/4. Source
Travel advisory: 2 stricter of the US and Canadian government advisory for the country, 1 (normal precautions) to 4 (do not travel) (country figure) (US State Department and Government of Canada travel advisories, 2026-09-29). Between 1 and 2: grade 3/4. Source
Dedicated tourism funding: A dedicated source partly ring-fenced for residents, infrastructure or sustainability (Generalitat de Catalunya / Ajuntament de Barcelona (Llei 2/2026; Fons de Foment del Turisme), 2026). Grade 3/4. Source

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