Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries rC Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries Catalonia is a Mediterranean destination with a millenary history, its own culture and language, plus a wealthy historical and natural heritage. With a population of over 7.5 million, the region covers 32,107 km2 and enjoys a temperate and mild Mediterranean climate, characterised by dry, warm summers and moderately cool winters. Catalonia is home to many significant metropolises, from the capital, Barcelona, to the province cities of Girona, Tarragona and Lleida and smaller towns filled with remarkable heritage and majestic monuments. The region offers extensive opportunities for tourists; from culture cravers to family travellers, sports enthusiasts and wildlife wanderers or for those just looking to relax, Catalonia’s excellent facilities place it as one of Europe’s prime tourist destinations. 2 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries Main news: late 2017 .............................................................................................................................. 4 Main news: 2018 ................................................................................................................................... 12 Get inspired: story angles for 2018 ........................................................................................................ 15 Catalonia Events calendar 2018 ............................................................................................................. 25 3 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries Products from Catalonia recognised in the Great Taste Awards 2017 Catalonia’s food scene is celebrated for its organic and traditional Catalan character. Due to its climate, the quality of Catalonia’s products has received significant international recognition. Most recently, the UK’s Great Taste Awards 2017 recognised four products from the Lands of Lleida; cured sausages and hamburgers of Cal Tomàs in the high mountains of Pallars Jussà, the almond nougat and honey from Alemany in La Noguera, olive oil from the Els Torms mill in Les Garrigues, and finally Mahou San Miguel beer brewed in the city of Lleida. Those have also recognised the Catànies from Penedès, the Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Migjorn in Bages and Oleum Priorat in Costa Daurada. greattasteawards.co.uk/2017-winners Catalan gastronomic products 4 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries Casa Vicens to open late-October Renowned Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí’s first major construction, Casa Vicens, will open to the public as a museum for the first time on the 16th November. Located in the Gràcia district of Barcelona, Casa Vicens is the final Gaudí World Heritage site building to admit public visitors. The building was the artist’s first residential construction, built as a summer home between 1883 and 1885 for wealthy industrialist Manel Vicens. Not only was Casa Vicens the starting point of Gaudí’s career, the property is different to anything that had been built in the region previously. The construction is graphic, geometric and unique, and has undergone three years of extensive renovations in preparation for its opening as a museum. www.casavicens.org @ Casa Vicens. @ Turisme de Barcelona. Gaudí’s Casa Vicens ‘The Fifth Lake’, top circular hiking route ‘The Fifth Lake’ is a new circular hiking route through the Catalan Pyrenees, divided into five stages, starting and ending in La Pobla de Segur. It combines undiscovered and breath-taking landscapes, charming accommodation and top quality mountain Catalan cuisine. Covering more than 100km, the route passes several lakes, including Montcortès. This new route has proved popular and was awarded the “Best Product in Active Tourism” in the 2017 Fitur awards. www.elcinquellac.com 5 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries @ El Cinquè Llac. Landscapes from the Fifth Lake route El Cinquè Llac New route launches, combing the falles and Romanesque art and architecture The Romanesque Centre of Vall de Boí has recently announced the ‘Romanesque art and architecture and falles’ route. This new route combines fire feasts called falles of the Pyrenees, and the Romanesque-style churches of Vall de Boí: two unique Catalan traditions within this UNESCO World Heritage Site. Throughout summer, travellers can discover the legacy of the valley’s medieval past set against the backdrop of spectacular scenery on these trips. The Alta Ribagorça District Council has also signposted the “Paths of Fire” routes for self-guided tours. These 10 routes start at the beacon where the falles are lit and continue down into the mountainside. 2017 record year for Fruit Tourism in Lleida Fruiturisme, a project launched to promote fruit tourism in Catalonia, allows visitors to witness the blossoming peach trees in fields of Aitona while discovering the cultural and architectural heritage of El Segrià county. In 2017, the Fruiturisme project attracted over 5,500 followers, proving beneficial to the local economy and enabling local producers to promote their produce and discuss the rich gastronomy of Aitona. The peach flowering season usually takes place in March, this year 2017 from 8 to 22 March. fruiturisme.info/en/experiencies Miravinya - a new driving route through the Penedès Visitors can explore the vineyards of Penedès region by car with the Miravinya route. Travellers can download an app which contains a map and audio guide which directs them along comprehensive route through the Penedès, exploring the geography, nature, culture and history of the area. www.enoturismepenedes.cat/en/miravinya-explore-landscape-wine 6 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries Miravinya route in Penedès The Diputació de Barcelona is awarded the Biosphere Certification Under the brand ‘Barcelona is much more’, Diputació de Barcelona promotes the three tourist destinations that have embarked on the Biosphere certification process and were recently awarded this prestigious label: ‘Costa Barcelona’, ‘Paisatges Barcelona’ and ‘Pirineus Barcelona’. The label certifies that the region fulfils the requirements of the ‘Biosphere Destination’ standard and successfully applies 6 specific criteria in its tourist policies: sustainable management, economic and social development, conservation and improvement of cultural heritage, environmental conservation, quality and safety, and involvement of the visitor. www.biospheretourism.com/en/entity/costa-barcelona/319 www.biospheretourism.com/en/entity/paisatges-barcelona/320 www.biospheretourism.com/en/entity/pirineus-barcelona/321 7 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries New ‘Castellers’ museum in Valls The city of Valls has established a brand new ‘Castellers’ museum dedicated to the Catalan human towers. This museum will explore all of the details of these impressive human feats, and will be the only one of its kind in the world. Human Towers biannual competition in Tarragona Els Ports, new Family Holiday Destination Els Ports Natural Park, located in the south west of Catalonia, has been awarded the Family Holiday Destination (FHD) seal of approval for its ecological value, active and nature offerings and its gastronomy. The accolade is awarded to towns, cities and resorts that go above and beyond to cater to the family market in accommodation, restaurants, facilities and tourist attractions. Nowadays, 25 Catalan destinations have this seal of approval. www.catalunya.com 8 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries Terres de l’Ebre, one of the TOP 100 green destinations in 2017 For the second consecutive year, the Terres de l’Ebre area has been recognised by the Global Green Destinations association as one of the top 100 sustainable destinations for 2017. Terres de l’Ebre was recognised as UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2013 and it works on all sustainability elements to make the tourism development compatible with nature conservation. Catalonia is strongly committed with sustainability and it has celebrated the Year of Sustainable Tourism in 2017, following the path of the WTO, the United Nations and the European Commission. terresdelebre.travel/en Trabucador beach in Ebre Delta 9 Catalan Tourist Board Nordic Countries New hotels 2017 Barcelona Hotel Midmost Majestic Hotel Group – opened 2017 Located in a 1919 building, this new four-star hotel boutique in Barcelona has 56 rooms and a panoramic roof with swimming pool and bar. www.hotelmidmost.com/en Hotel Golden Tulip Barcelona 4* – opened 17th July Close to Plaça de Les Glòries in the 22nd district in Barcelona, this is the first ‘Golden Tulip’ property in Spain. The hotel has 158 rooms, a Catalan restaurant, bar and three event rooms. It also has a roof top terrace on the seventh floor, with a jacuzzi, pool and spectacular views of the city. www.goldentulip.com/en/hotels/golden-tulip-barcelona Room Mate Gerard – opened summer 2017 This is the fifth opened Room Mate Hotel property to open in Barcelona, making it the city with the most hotels from the Kike Sarasola chain. Room Mate Gerard has 66 rooms and is located in Urquinaona, in a classic Eixample building. www.room-matehotels.com/en/gerard Mosaic by Ona Hotels – opened summer 2017 One Hotels opened its second hotel in Barcelona with 53 rooms. The hotel is located in in a building dating back to 1888 in Rambla de Catalunya. www.onahotels.com/en/hotel-mosaic-barcelona Almanac Barcelona – opened September 2017 Almanac Barcelona is the first property to open in a collection of luxury hotels, located just steps from Passeig de Gràcia. The hotel has a rooftop terrace, Azimuth, which offers