Catalonia’s International Tourism Fair is currently taking place and will run until this Sunday. Barcelona broke all records in 2010 regarding visitors. 7.3 million tourists visited the Catalan capital and there were 14 million hotel nights booked by visitors. The Catalan Minister for Business and Employment, who is in charge of tourism, expects 2011 for Catalonia to be “exceptional”.
Chinese businessmen have chosen the Catalan coastal village to be the model for their new holiday resort in China. This Costa Brava village will thus have a carbon copy in Zhangzhou, Fujian region’s Xiamen bay.
Ryanair’s CEO, Michael O’Leary urges the Catalan Government to pay 11,5 million euros to the airline if it wants Girona’s airport to see all its Ryanair flights back from October onwards. O’Leary says that the Irish company cancelled 28% of its routes from Girona for the Spring/Summer season due to the “lack of commitment” from the new Catalan executive.
The Catalan airline Pyrenair postponed all flights that were connecting Lleida and Vigo. For the moment, they will continue operating between Lleida-Alguaire airport and Madrid and will replace the previous flight with a new one to and from A Coruña.
Companies and agencies from the tourism industry have joint together to highlight the potential of the Asian tourist market and stress the obstacles for its growth. Currently, Barcelona has only two direct flights with Asia per week, a figure that is expected to largely increase. As an example of this potential, China exported almost 57 million of tourists abroad per year, but only 90,000 visit Barcelona.
Pyrenair will transport skiers from Vigo, Madrid and the Canary Islands to Lleida-Alguaire airport for the next five weeks. Nine in ten seats were already full for the first flights last Sunday.
Two Catalans opened a guided tour business in Berlin making the most of the economic crisis and the fact that the city was ‘fashionable’. They set up ‘Cultourberlin’, a project that would offer Spanish and Catalan tourists guided tours of Berlin
A Catalan travel company will provide a rail route through the lakes and the Romanesque Art from the Boí Valley. The travel agency plans to benefit from the airport Alguaire and Pyrenair airline, which brings flights from Madrid and Vigo, and attract numerous people to the region, not just skiers
High temperatures of between 7 and 12 degrees are forecasted for the first four days of competition in La Molina, in the Catalan Pyrenees.
The ski resort is one of the most popular in the South of Europe, with more than 120 kilometres of ski slopes. Skiing is one of the main economic activities in the area of Vall d'Aran, in north-west Catalonia.
It is a record figure for the company and represents a 35 percent increase in passengers since 2009. Vueling plans to offer 10.5 million seats for the 2011 summer season, almost 7% more than the same period in 2009. The company plans to open new bases in Amsterdam and Toulouse to foster its international growth.
Catalan ski slopes attracted thousands of tourists this holiday season. Between the 24th December and the 9th January, heavy snow and pleasant weather conditions ensured an increase in visitors compared to this time last year. Ski-resorts in the Pyrenees contribute greatly to the tourism industry in Catalonia.
The G! Tourism Awards of Girona aim to promote the attractiveness of the Costa Brava and the Pyrenees. They honour audiovisual and print media reports related with the region. The awards ceremony took place at the La Sitja de Fornells de la Selva Civic and Cultural Centre.
More than 6.000 people go skiing during the first week-end in the ski resorts of Vaquèria-Beret and Port del Comte, in the Lleida Pyrénees. Two resorts in Girona are also open.
The ski vacation tour operator plans to operate 6 flights a week from London, Manchester, Birmingham, Dublin and Belfast to the Lleida-Alguaire Airport. This new airport serves Lleida city as well as Lleida's Pyrenees.