International fairs in March
Girona's destinations were promoted in two international European tourism fairs, Berlin's ITB and the MITT in Moscow, as well as in Spain, at Sevatur in San Sebastian, with the participation of towns and tourism bodies from the Girona area.
MARCH 2014
The actions of the Patronat de Turisme at the fairs were aimed both directly at professional channels and at the general public, to whom the overall tourism offer of the Costa Brava and Pirineu de Girona destinations was presented.
From 9rd to 13th March: ITB, in Berlin
The Patronat de Turisme Costa Brava Girona took part in the fair as part of the Catalonia stand, where it presented and promoted the tourism products and services of the Costa Brava and Pirineu de Girona brands, together with the towns of Blanes, Lloret de Mar and Castell-Platja d’Aro. Visitors to this fair showed special interest in the sun and sand offer of the Costa Brava, as well as in active tourism and nature activities.
On the days of the fair dedicated to professionals, meetings were held with leading tour operators who operate on the Costa Brava, including Rewe, TUI and Vamos Reisen, to discuss their scheduling plans for 2011 and 2012. At present, package holiday and individual bookings made with TUI and the Rewe group (ITS, Jahn Reisen, Dertour) have increased by 20% in respect of the same month in 2010. Both operators have included nature, active and cultural products in their brochures to add value to the sun and sand holiday product. TUI's 2011 brochure includes a wider range of Costa Brava accommodation, increasing from 7 to 12 pages in its sales brochure.
According to the Catalan Tourism Observatory, Germany is the fourth largest outbound tourist market in Catalonia and the second most important market in terms of overnight stays. In 2010 more than one million German tourists visited Catalonia, generating 10.6 million overnight stays.
From 16th to 19th March: MITT, Moscow International Travel & Tourism, in Moscow.
The Patronat de Turisme again participated as part of the Catalonia stand, where it presented the overall tourism offer of the Costa Brava and the Pirineu de Girona together with the tourism towns of Blanes and Lloret de Mar, along with several tourism accommodation companies from the Girona area. On Thursday 17th March at 2 p.m., a public presentation was made at the fair of family tourism destinations in Catalonia, including the towns of Blanes and Lloret de Mar in the Girona area. An estimated 92,000 visitors attended Moscow's leading international tourism fair.
From 18th to 20th March: Sevatur, in San Sebastian
The tourism offer of the Costa Brava and Pirineu de Girona brands shared a 32 m2 space with tourism bodies and towns from the Girona area: Calonge-Sant Antoni, Begur, L’Escala, Roses and the County Council of L’Alt Empordà. The Director of the Patronat de Turisme, Estanis Puig, attended the official opening of the tourism fair on Friday 18th March at 11.30 a.m., hosted by Iñaki Galdós, Minister of Tourism for Guipúzcoa. The Basque public is considered knowledgeable about the counties of Girona.
