FC Barcelona and the Catalan Government join together to promote Catalonia’s tourist sector

Barcelona (FCB).- FC Barcelona Vice-President for Institutional Relations, Carles Vilarrubí, and the Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, Francesc Xavier Mena, who is also the President of the Catalan Tourism Agency, signed an agreement on Thursday afternoon to collaborate in the promotion of Catalonia as a global tourist reference point. The deal, which runs through till June 2013, means that FC Barcelona will help promote the Catalan tourist industry via its official communication channels.

Amongst other actions, FC Barcelona will provide spaces for promotional activities to the Agència Catalana de Turisme, as well as invitations to games for tour operators, travel agencies and international tourist media outlets.

The Agència Catalana de Turisme will also strengthen the presence of the Catalonia Tourism brand on the home page of the Club website, and on the “Barça Fans” programme, as well as featuring as official collaborators in FC Barcelona’s 2013 Summer Tour .

The Agency will also give Barça coverage in all of its promotional work with the aim of placing FC Barcelona’s tourist oriented products such as the ‘Camp Nou Experience’ and the spaces and offers aimed at business meetings and encounters into strategically important markets.

The Catalan Business Minister explained: “the deal we have signed today will consolidate our relationship with FC Barcelona and allow us to create synergies between the two institutions and multiply our promotional efforts using the international fame that the Barça brand has. The brand is one of Catalonia’s main assets and we share their values of leadership, prestige, hard work, passion and Catalan identity”.

FC Barcelona’s Vice President Carles Vilarrubí believes: “the signing of this agreement is a firm commitment which FC Barcelona has taken. Whenever we travel around the world – such as our recent visit to the University of Glasgow invited by the Ramon Llull Insitute for instance – we go hand in hand with the Catalan Government to promote our country. In the fields of both culture and tourism, our club is clear that we will cooperate and ensure that our position in the world can be of use. Over the last few years we have worked with the Tourism Department and we believe that this agreement, apart from strengthening our collaboration, will bring many rewards to our club and our country ”.

Presentations to coincide with UCL games

The agreement also includes a commitment to make a series of presentations together to tour operators and local media in those cities where Barça play UEFA Champions League games and are considered strategically important for the tourist industry.

In some of these cities, the presentations will be accompanied by open air promotional activities such as stands and music to promote the Catalan tourist industry.

Four other partners

The agreement with FC Barcelona is the fifth that the Agència Catalana de Turisme has signed with the aim of creating a group of partners with an international image, which aims to create the biggest impact possible for the promotion of tourism in Catalonia and generate income for such campaigns. As well as FC Barcelona, Vueling, el Circuit de Catalunya, La Roca Village and Iberia have also signed deals with the Agency, which is funded by the Catalan Government.

The Catalan Tourism Agency will continue to work on possible agreements with companies in the tourist sector – airlines, hotel chains, car hire firms – as well as in other sectors such as automobiles, finance, fashion and food which share the Agency’s values of leadership professionalism, innovation, dynamism, sustainability and efficiency and who wish to associate their brand names with Catalonia.