tourist

2 million foreigners visited Catalonia in August, a 14.7% increase compared to August 2011. In total, in the first 8 months of the year, 10.4 million international visitors came to Catalonia, a 12.1% raise compared to the same period from 2011. Madrid was visited by 381,000 foreigners in August, a 29.7% decrease. In the whole of Spain, the number of international tourists reached 7.9 million in August, a 5% increase. Out of all the tourists who visited Spain in August, 25.4% went to Catalonia.

Barcelona’s premier guided bus tour is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year after having been in operation since 1987. Described as “the most convenient way to discover Barcelona's most interesting and attractive sights” the popular open-top bus tour has catered for over 21.7 million visitors and sight seers in Barcelona. Over the years it has showcased Barcelona’s most popular locations, monuments and parks as well as opening up the city’s less well known areas to millions of visitors. One of city’s most successful tourism projects now offers city tours, sightseeing tours and a captivating tour of the major floodlit landmarks at night.

The arrival of foreign tourists with a greater purchasing power increases tourist income in Catalonia by 15% during the first four months of the year, compared to the same period last year. Traditionally Greece was the main destination for Russian citizens on holidays; however, the economic and political crisis the Hellenic country is going through has placed Catalonia on top of the list of Russian tourist priorities.

The Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad has published an interview with the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas. Mas states that “Catalonia’s intervention by Spain would be unthinkable” and “unfair, as no government has done as much as Catalonia's to adjust the economic situation”. Furthermore, he adds that “people’s reaction [against such an intervention] would be very strong”. NRC explains the austerity measures implemented by the Catalan Government to reduce its deficit, such as the drug prescription fee or public employee salary reduction. Furthermore, Mas complained that Spain’s Autonomies model has “decentralised spending but not revenue”; “we want to collect our taxes”, he affirmed, being another “state within a federal Europe”, contributing to regional solidarity.

The Catalan Ministry of Finance has confirmed the figures released on Thursday by the party running Catalonia’s Government. The drug prescription fee would add €180 million to the budget, and will also save money due to its dissuasive impact. The symbolic tourist tax, which will be implemented from November, would also bring in €60 million. The remaining €60 million will come from other taxes and public fees.

The Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU), which controls the Catalan Government, and the People’s Party (PP), the third political party in Catalonia’s Parliament, have agreed to reduce some of the fees from the original proposal, reduce the number of public companies, build new schools and community health centres, and allocate more money to municipalities and victims of terrorism. Furthermore, the agreement goes beyond the budget and foresees the development of laws and plans to foster employment, entrepreneurship and a spending limitation. CiU has denied that it has a “stable agreement” with the PP for the entire term. The PP has demonstrated its new central role in Catalan politics. Every opposition party has criticised the agreement.

The Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition ‘CiU’, which runs the Catalan Government, is close to reaching an agreement with the Conservative People’s Party (PP) on this year’s budget. They have been negotiating over the past number of weeks, but the PP has insisted on modifying two of CiU’s new measures: the tourist tax and the drug prescription fee. They have subsequently agreed to postpone the tourist tax until November 2012 and Barcelona will have a different fee. In addition, they have decided to exclude people with low incomes from paying the drug prescription fee.

The Catalan Government will reduce department expenditure by 3.8%, public sector prices will increase and real estate assets will be sold. In addition, a symbolic tourist tax and a universal fee for each drug prescription will be introduced. The Catalan Finance Minister, Andreu Mas-Colell, insisted that next year’s budget continues with the two-year adjustment plan, which has been designed to reach a 1.3% deficit objective in 2012. Basic welfare services and security and judicial policies are the areas least affected by the reductions. In the next few weeks, parliamentary negotiations will take place to approve the final budget.

Catalonia consolidates its position as the first tourist destination within Spain, with 26% of all visits. International tourism within Catalonia increases in July by 5.1% compared to last year.

The Costa Brava received 6,5 million visitors in 2009. According to latest estimations of Costa Brava Tourism Council, up to 3 million tourists stayed at coastal apartments. The Costa Brava brand is currently the second most recognised destination for foreign tourists, just beaten by Barcelona.

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.

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.”

The county of Garraf, 20 minutes South from Barcelona, has recently begun a new programme for tourists of the area, a route that combines elements of landscape, culture, and gastronomy. The itinerary includes panoramic views of the Garraf Natural Park and wine tasting, among other activities.

The award-winning football club uses its Asiatic tour to explain the tourist attractions of the country it comes from