Catalan Tourist Sector Bets on the Attractivity of Barcelona

Catalan tourist sector closed 2021 with 5.6 million worldwide website visitors, fewer than 50 percent the stage of 2019.

“We want 2022 to be the calendar year of the tourism reactivation, regardless of all the uncertainties”. This is what the Minister of Business and Labor, Roger Torrent said.

Nonetheless, he did not mention a unique forecast of how many holidaymakers are envisioned to get there this calendar year – “It can be also risky,” he stated – he was optimistic about “consolidating the restoration course of action”.

But this is a very long-distance race and there is a lot more than a half of the way to go: despite the fact that 2021 shut with the arrival of 5.6 million international website visitors (101.3% far more than in 2020), these numbers are even now 62% under pre-pandemic amounts, as Torrent pointed out.

Immediately after leaving guiding 2020, a dim year for Catalan vacationer sector, the business is optimistic about 2022. On the just one hand, due to the fact of the acceleration of vaccination fees globally and, on the other hand, since of the decreased influence that the authorities attribute to the omicron variant despite the quantity of instances.

“The tourism sector is completely ready,” Torrent explained after practically two a long time since covid-19 appeared. Now, to fulfill expectations and “consolidate” the arrival of guests from other parts of the environment, the Catalonian govt is crystal clear that it is important to draw in a quite specific traveler: the American and Asian site visitors. “They are indispensable for survival”, they think this current market will enhance that of Central Europe.

In reality, the global visitor represents 50 percent of the full of the action. According to information from the Catalonian government, 49.2% of the travelers who arrived in 2019 have been foreigners. In addition, they shell out extra funds than domestic or Spanish travelers. In 2021 the arrival of intercontinental tourists to Catalonia created 4,955 million euros by November (however considerably from the 21,325 million generated in 2019), although the common expenditure for every foreign visitor was 954 euros.

Even so, Catalonia was the next group, only driving the Balearic Islands, which gained more foreign travelers until November 2021 (18.4% of the full of the place). As regards leadership, Torrent required to highlight the role of Barcelona as a “hub of attraction” and the great importance of returning to placement Catalonia in the “middle”.

“The town has experienced the most throughout the drop of Catalan tourism sector,” explained the minister, who has dominated out that Madrid can “be a rival”.

The readers that responded very best have been the Catalan travelers and all those from the relaxation of the country. In the very first situation, Catalonia gained a full of 8.1 million Catalan travellers by November final calendar year (nevertheless 10% beneath 2019 amounts), although visitors from other components of Spain were being about 4.5 million (17% a lot less than in 2019). Torrent has pointed out that 2022 not only has to be a 12 months of “consolidation” of the figures, but also the yr to produce a “increased excellent and sustainable tourism product from the environmental and social views”.