Pent up demand sees Aussies flock to Catalonia

The Australian market is returning to Catalonia with the most confidence amongst its Asia Pacific counterparts, and as of September 2022, the numbers almost match its pre-COVID market share.

Australians have a strong appetite for travel to Catalonia thanks to pent-up demand after two years of travel restrictions, according to Raül Guerra, Catalan Tourism Board’s regional director.

“Our latest figures show that Australia is the number one visitor market to Catalonia from Asia Pacific,” Guerra continued.

From January to September this year, there have been over 88,000 visitor arrivals to Catalonia from Australia, followed by 60,000 from South Korea and 59,000 from India.

Despite making up 11 per cent of total visitor arrivals in the area pre-COVID, Australians now sit at 28 per cent.

“We saw the Australian visitor numbers sharply increase in May 2022, increasing steadily until July where they continued to rise strongly but at a lesser rate compared to the European summer period”, Guerra said.

The average Australian visitor to Catalonia stays 5 days and spends an average of $800 per person/night.

“Australians are considered a high-value visitor because they contribute to diversify the demand and generate 3 times more expenditure per person/night than average international visitor,” Guerra said.

“History and culture along with food and wine are the key drivers for Australians visiting the Spanish region.”

Australians are not the only ones visiting Catalonia for the amazing food and wine offerings, and as a result the Catalan Tourist Board is looking to bolster the region’s reputation as a leading destination for wine and gastronomy tourism in Europe.

“Wine and gastronomy tourism is a key focus for the Catalan Tourist Board as it is one of the destination’s strengths, boasting 50 restaurants with Michelin stars – not bad for a region half the size of Tasmania! We know food and wine experiences takes a significant portion of the budget when visiting Catalonia” Guerra added.

The food and wine focus is part of a strategy to diversify Catalonia’s tourism offering, help drive visitors outside the shoulder season and contribute to spreading travel throughout the territory in line with a sustainable tourist model.

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Catalan Tourist Board Catalonia Raül Guerra