The Catalan Tourist Board is expecting a growth of 13.3 per cent in Indian travellers in the coming years, reaching 25 million international trips in 2016. The number of trips was 13.5 million in 2011, this means that the number of international journeys from India will have increased by 11.5 million in five years. It is estimated that around 30,000 tourists from India visited Catalonia in 2012, a figure that is expected to rise to some 33,000 in 2013, as per a release.
Indian tourists spend an average of EUR 800-1,000 per person during their stay. They generally visit Catalonia as part of a tour to a number of European countries and spend an average of three to four days, most of them in Barcelona. Majority of these travellers are men aged between 25 and 55 who come from the middle and upper classes, have studied at university and travel with a group or with friends, their spouse or family.
Qatar Airways and Emirates operate daily direct flights to Barcelona from Doha and Dubai, respectively, which are the two cities that enjoy good air connectivity with India. In addition, the Catalan government is working towards more direct-flight connections and issue visas to Indian tourists.
The capital city of Barcelona is famous for its football team, FC Barcelona. Last year Barcelona received seven million tourists. In 2012, the CREDAI (Confederation of Real Estate Developers? Associations of India) selected Barcelona to host its first convention outside Asia and the Middle East. More than 300 representatives from this Indian confederation visited Barcelona, many accompanied by their families. Barcelona is the most important cruise port in Europe and ranks fourth around the entire world. According to Barcelona Port figures, over a million cruise passengers visited the city in the first half of 2013, a number that is expected to rise to 2.6 million by the end of the year.