tourism

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.

Tomàs Molina, Catalan public television's weatherman, answers: “It only rains 100 days a year here, but when it does, it rains a lot, almost like Monsoon season in India.”

The Catalan Government has approved a decree regulating tourist apartments. A flat rented for a period of less than 3 months is considered a “tourist” flat. As it performs an economic activity, it will now need a municipal license. Until now, tourist flats were regulated depending on the municipality.

Gastronomy will be one of the main aspects of the new Pyrenees and Pre-Pyrenees tourist offer, which also combines Romanesque art, breathtaking lanscapes, trekking paths, ski slopes, etc. The initiative aims to bring together the varied offers from 11 counties with gastronomy in order to generate tourism.

In the first 9 months of 2010, more than 10 million tourists chose Catalonia as their vacation destination. After the Balearic Islands, Catalonia is the most visited territory on Spain.

The travel website Tripadvisor recently ranked Barcelona as the number 1 city to be pickpocketed for the 2nd year in a row. The Catalan coastal region of the Costa Brava was ranked 7th on the list, although a mistake was made in the report situating Alicante, which is some 600 km. South, in the region

This summer saw a higher percentage of tourist flat occupancy than last year. David Rida, the president of the Association of Tourist Apartments of Barcelona stated that this improvement is due to the “higher numbers of days people are staying and the recuperation of the North American, French and German markets.”

Catalan chef Ferran Adrià is stepping out of the kitchen to lend a helping hand to tourism. He has proposed a new touristic project for the Costa Brava town of Roses, where his world-famous restaurant El Bulli is located. The project includes a natural and gastronomic route through the village.

The Catalan Minister for Innovation, Universities and Businesses, Josep Huguet, has called out to tourist agencies, asking them to develop more creative touristic offers. His plea comes at a time when the tourist industry is rising. The month of August shows a 90% occupancy of the hotels along the Catalan coast.