The images from a few days ago, especially from the weekends before the Christmas celebration, of a Passeig de Gràcia overflowing with shoppers and walkers have perhaps shown as never before the success of that formula that combines bright Christmas lights – which in this case are almost as attractive during the day, when the sun reflects on them, as when they are lit -, facades, balconies and shop windows exquisitely decorated for these holidays and the varied and rich offer of products of which it is a of the most prominent commercial routes in Europe.
TC Group Solutions, the leading company in Spain in counting people, estimated the average influx of visitors to Passeig de Gràcia at 17,100 people between November 17 and December 17, a period in which the lighting coincides. Christmas (November 23), the Black Friday campaign and the start of a true marathon of festive days with the opening of shops that has only been interrupted for two days this week, Christmas and Sant Esteve.
On some occasions, the agglomeration of visitors at peak times has forced Barcelona City Council to intervene by placing, without much success, tapes to prevent people from invading the road, with the risk that this entails, to immortalize the magic with their mobile phones. from Passeig de Gràcia.
The numbers provided by TC Group Solutions indicate an increase of almost 15% in the number of visitors compared to the same period of the previous year (the average influx to Passeig de Gràcia was 14,900 people daily), a very relevant growth if one takes into account He says that last year the definitive end of the pandemic already led to an intense occupation of the streets by Barcelona residents and visitors, both Spanish and foreign, to the city.
Beyond the lights, which since December 15, as in the rest of the city, and in response to the City Council's request from merchants, have been turned off an hour later, the decoration of many of the establishments has reinforced the condition of powerful magnet of Passeig de Gràcia. This is the case of stores such as Rabat, Santa Eulalia, Massimo Dutti or Suárez, the Majestic hotel, La Pedrera or Casa Batlló, which in many cases add to that special ornamentation the fact of having their headquarters in buildings of high architectural value and patrimonial.
The 2023 Christmas season is resulting, and not only on Passeig de Gràcia but throughout the city, in the consolidation of the recovery that was already strongly appreciated in the same period of 2022. However, buyer behavior It is proving uneven depending on the areas of the city and the different sectors of commerce.
In the city as a whole, last year's sales levels are maintained. This is what is indicated, for example, by the Banc Sabadell Pulso application, which shows in practically real time the spending made with credit cards in commercial establishments. During the 30 days prior to this Christmas, spending in the capital was very slightly higher than the same period in 2022 (0.96% more). The sector that has pulled the most is food, while restaurants and clothing have shown a small decrease.
