Catalonia attends World Travel Market in London to attract 'valuable British tourists'

Catalonia has inaugurated its stand at the World Travel Market in London, one of the largest tourism fairs in the world, to increase its capacity to attract more high-value British tourists. 

This space hosts more than 30 businesses, 23 of which are private, focused on "increasing the number of tourists from the United Kingdom".  

The aim is to target a profile of visitor that is distant to the concept of "drunken tourism" and attract those who are more conscious of the places they visit. 

The UK is the second emitting country in Catalonia, and the third when it comes to spending. 

The Catalan Tourism Agency is aiming to consolidate the amount of tourists from the UK registered in 2019, when there were 2 million, a similar number to 2023's 1.8 million visitors. 

Nevertheless, the average spending by a British tourist has increased from €202 per day in 2019 to €217 per day now: "The average spending has increased, and it is not only a reflection of inflation, there is a real grow in consumption," Arantxa Calvera, director of the Catalan Tourism Agency, tells the Catalan News Agency (ACN). 

Calvera also aims to expand the range of experiences available for British tourists in Catalonia, extending the offer from Barcelona, the Costa Brava or the Costa Daurada to other options such as wine tourism, mountain sports, and activities in the Pyrenees. 

The Catalan Tourism Agency is working closely with tour operators, as 40% of UK tourism that comes to Catalonia is managed through these businesses. 

"Catalonia's presence in this Travel Market is important because this direct contact with businesses in London influences the type of visitors we want to attract," Ignacio, Grijalbo, general manager of Across Spain DMC & Leisure, explains.