Catalan Tourist Board hosted an intimate event in Sydney this week for Travel Trade and Media at Catalan restaurant, Parlar, to launch for the first time in Australia, “The Grand Tour of Catalonia” – a product designed to appeal to travellers visiting Catalonia with their friends and families. The product was initially rolled out in August last year to markets abroad, before its deployment here.
The Grand Tour of Catalonia is a journey that explores the area from north to south and east to west through a 2,000 km circular 13-day road trip itinerary. This experience will allow visitors to discover Catalonia’s main attractions in terms of heritage, nature wine and food, and encounter its people, customs and traditions.
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It is a tour designed on the basis of the sustainable tourism model that drives the diversified and high-quality tourism distributed in a balanced way throughout the territory, allowing the destination to be discovered in all seasons and highlighting its accessibility to all.
The event coincided with FC Barcelona travelling to Australia for the first time in its history to play a friendly match on Wednesday evening, against a selection of the best players from the Australian soccer league, the A-Leagues All Stars at the Accor Stadium in Sydney. This was a historic match for the Club as no professional or amateur Barça team in any sport has ever played a match on Australian soil before.
Speaking at the event, David Miró, Asia – Pacific Regional Director, Catalan Tourist Board said, “We are thrilled to be in Australia to launch for the first time outside of Europe, the Grand Tour of Catalonia. This really is a tour designed for Australian travellers interested in authentic manifestations of local culture, as well as the traditions, customs, landscapes and gastronomy of each area. Catalonia is a responsible tourism destination with over 30% of the region being protected.”
“It is also a wonderful opportunity to showcase our incredible alliance with FC Barcelona in conjunction with the match played yesterday evening. This alliance truly supports our aims to position Catalonia as one of the best destinations in the Mediterranean,” said Miró.
Also featuring at the event was an Australian family who showcased their road trip experience of Catalonia.
As the event came to a close David Miró announced he will be leaving Catalan Tourist Board in September after 24 years and will be handing the reigns over to Raül Guerra, incoming Asia Pacific Regional Director who introduced himself and welcomed all the guests via zoom.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Australian Travel Trade and Media for all their support during my time in this role. We are very proud of the strong partnerships we have developed in this market, which has resulted in pre-pandemic, welcoming approximately 200,000 Australian visitors to Catalonia across a twelve-month period. We now look forward to being back in Australian hearts and welcoming them back to our region soon,” advised Miró.
To watch the video on the Grand Tour of Catalonia, click here.
For more information on the Grand Tour of Catalonia, click here.
Pictured from left are: David Miró,Catalan Tourist Board Julie King; Julie King Associates; Dean Long, AFTA; and Brad McDonnell, Entire Travel Group.