Catalan tourism • B2B

With an eye on sustainability, public authorities in Catalonia are implementing new plans to expand the region’s tourism offering and create a model of sustainable tourism.

How was the agency founded, and how has it developed over the years?

DAVID FONT I SIMON In 2018, I started as head of the Catalan Tourism Agency. The objective of the agency is two-fold: to guarantee the continued growth of the tourism sector, which accounts for 14% of jobs; and guarantee an international projection of the sector and the Catalan brand by working with both the public and private sectors. We establish governance roles in partnership with Barcelona, Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Lleida, and all the territorial entities whose mission is to promote Spain as a tourism destination. The agency was founded in 2010, though previously there was a consortium that executed similar functions. We currently have a budget of around EUR23-25 million.

JOAN TORRELLA In 1993, tourism was identified as a strategic sector for Barcelona. The city council and the chamber of commerce created this consortium to promote the city as an international tourist destination. One of the priorities from the beginning was to create and sell tourist products and it is for this reason that our budget continues to grow every year. However, it should be pointed out that a big portion of our EUR54-million budget is dedicated to purchasing and selling tickets for tourist products and services. Our share in the Tourist Bus leaves us with a margin of around EUR6 million. To this, we can add EUR2.4 million from membership fees and services provided by the Convention Bureau, and a further EUR6.4 million received through public contributions.

Your strategic plan for 2018-2022 has four main objectives. Could you tell us more about this?

DFIS The strategic plan for 2018-2022 was approved by the regional government, and it marks the working plan for the agency until 2022. This plan has been approved by consensus with the private and public sectors and has 20 concrete initiatives. With this marketing plan, we aim to keep positioning Catalonia as one of the first three destinations of the Mediterranean arch. We also want to broaden our tourism offering to more than the beach; although it makes us special, we have many other tourism products including gastronomy, mountains, sports, and wine. We also want to guarantee that tourists not only come in the high season, from July to August, but all-year round. We want to expand tourism across the whole territory. For example, we are launching a global sports tourism campaign for 2020. We need to be positioned digitally because most travel reservations today are done online. What sustainability measures are you putting in place?

JT Until 2010, we were the only ones in the city working on tourism policies but then, as a consequence of a new strategic plan for tourism, the city council created the municipal department of tourism, aimed at coordinating the actions of different municipalities in relation to tourism policies. This is an innovative approach that has evolved from eight years’ work in the city council and has allowed Barcelona to be certified as a Biosphere Destination. Biosphere is focused on environmental, social, and economic sustainability, and its objectives are in line with the United Nation SDGs. In 2016, the city council introduced the new Tourism Strategic Plan 2020 that defined different sectorial strategies for tourism mobility, tourist accommodation, management of overcrowded spaces, or coordination between promotional and managerial policies. We are currently completing our Tourist Marketing Strategy of Barcelona’s Destination, which will provide the policy framework for the coming years.

Can you tell us more about your international collaborations and how you promote the Catalan brand internationally?

DFIS Our mission is to attract tourists that will be loyal to the destination. We want to create a model of sustainable tourism for the future, not only in environmental terms, but also to ensure that tourism is distributed throughout the territory. We have a network of 12 offices around the world. We have seven in Europe and one each in Russia, New York, São Paulo, Singapore, and Beijing. We also have relationships with international travel agencies, international media, influencers, and others. For example, we have a mission in Korea and Japan, where we will go with 15 companies. We did this in Australia, Argentina, Chile, and Brazil, and in 2020 we will go to the US and Mexico.

How do you balance keeping residents happy and encouraging tourism to boost the economy?

JT Our agenda for the coming months is to select or boost several different markets and profiles. Other policies are being deployed to facilitate mobility between attractions, expand the image of Barcelona, and increase the attractions associated with the city. We need to expand our offering because there is more to tourism than just visiting attractions. ✖