TOURISM CONSUMPTION AS A PRIORITY IN THE POST-PANDEMIC PERIOD: The case study of Barcelona

Tourism is one of the most important activities in the city of Barcelona and is a priority for the municipal administration in both economic and social terms. Barcelona became a tourist city only in 1992. Today, more than 28 million visitors per year are estimated in a city of just over 1.6 million inhabitants. Therefore, the city and the region reflect a great tourist attraction capacity that accounts for about 12% of GDP and generates about 9% of employment. Therefore, by analysing tourism demand and supply in Spain during the period 2015-2021, the following contribution aims to provide a description of tourism activity in Barcelona. The multiscale, region-province-city observation can be considered as one of the fundamental aspects to assess how consumption and tourists’ needs have changed in the post-pandemic period. Observation of the behaviour of pandemic effects on the territory can be considered as one of the fundamental aspects for studying and influencing certain factors in a concrete spatial dimension. Through a cartographic production we will observe how the spatial factor is a key element in assessing the state of the art and post-pandemic evolution. Finally, through the use of open data and the new Strategic Tourism Plan 2020, the study will allow us to observe the specific peculiarities related to the consumption and leisure of human beings who choose Barcelona as a tourist destination.