Tourism Breaking News
The second webinar in the tri-series Rediscover Spain featured the vibrant city breaks in Spain. Starting off the webinar Daniel Rosado -Director, Spain Tourism GCC followed by Patrick Torrent – Executive director of the Catalan Tourist Board, Marta Aldana, International Promotion at Barcelona Tourism, Javier Amichis – Regional Manager, Middle East & Asia Pacific -Travel Trade & Connectivity, Madrid Destination and Namratha Rose -Manager – Marketing & Trade Relations – Spain Tourism GCC. Every speaker stated about the many initiatives taken during the time of the pandemic and how they continue to keep their guard on, being part of the European Union, every approval needs to come from them hence the speakers stated that as tourism board officials they receive regular updates from the European Union through their government and they keep everyone updated.
It was one full hour of rediscovering from the most breathtaking environment to another. The first video of Catalonia started off which showcased the beauty of the destination coupled with its rich heritage, arts and crafts, architectural wonders, gastronomical cuisine, sailing, and the wonderful outdoors with its many adventurous expeditions waiting to be explored. Patrick Torrent – Executive director of the Catalan Tourist Board did a comprehensive presentation of the whole region paying attention to describing from the north to south and the northwest that comprise Catalunya. From Girona, Tarragona and Costa Daurada, Lleida. He went on to explain that this year is a very important year for Catalunya as the Sports Tourism Congress will take place in October 2021 organised by UNWTO and Catalan Tourism.
Marta Aldana, International Promotion at Barcelona Tourism shared that there are 115 hotels open with 75.9& the cultural facilities in Barcelona city are presently open to the public with 101 professional events confirmed for the upcoming years. She shared that by Spring 2021 they were looking at promotions in Europe and the Middle East which could consist of different channels with digital storytelling as one of the main means of promotion. In terms of recovery, their Barcelona Christmas Tour was mentioned which took place from 27th November to 27th December 2020. In order to support the tourism industry the campaign Barcelona Black Friday was launched until December 2021 which includes cultures, shopping, accommodation, and restaurants. The next promotional activity they collaborated on was the television programme as Master Chef celebrities focused on national tourism as a platform to showcase the values of Barcelona.
Javier Amichis – Regional Manager, Middle East & Asia Pacific -Travel Trade & Connectivity, Madrid Destination was joined by Four Seasons which was opened in September 2020 amidst the pandemic and Javier interviewed the General Manager of the property and the new Galeria Canalejes soon to be opened in Madrid. He explained that the word Madrid has an Arabic meaning of stream and the destination is full of picturesque streams that are waiting to be explored. He mentioned that some of the most important Arabic culture and architecture still remain in the city of Madrid.
Namratha Rose -Manager – Marketing & Trade Relations – Spain Tourism GCC concluded the session thanking all the partners for spending their time to showcase some of the most luscious landscapes, gastronomical adventures, heritage and rich history of the destination.v
