Tourism Developments in Catalonia - Case Study Example

Tourism Developments in Catalonia Introduction The Autonomous Community of Catalonia has an area of 32,114 km bound in the north by France and Andorra North, in the south by Valencia, in the west by Aragon and in the east by the Mediterranean Sea. In 2006, it had population of more than 7 million people. About 12% of these are immigrants. Catalonia achieved its present status as an autonomous community within the Kingdom of Spain through The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia in 1979, one of 17 granted during Spain’s transition to democracy. In 2006, the expansion of the powers of the Catalan government was voted for during a referendum. In effect, Catalonia administratively functions as a country although politically, Spain still considers it as art of the Spanish Kingdom. (Catalonia 2007) However, as early as the 19th century, the region had achieved importance as an industrial hub from an economic point of view. But it is tourism that this particular community outshines other regions Tourism is of particular importance to Catalonia. It is the most popular destination for European tourists, attracting 14.2 million people of the 55.1 million who visited the Kingdom of Spain from January to November 2006, or 25.7% of all foreign visitors, according to the Border Tourist Movements Survey. This represents an increase of more than 7% from 2005. On average, each tourist spent an average of 852 euros, based on the Tourist Expenditure Survey. The French ranked top in the tourist count, followed by the British and Italians. (Spain maintains its leading position as a tourist destination 2006) It is therefore reasonable to expect that since tourism is such an important aspect of the economic health of Catalonia that substantial efforts and resources would be geared towards developing the industry to the fullest extent possible. However, there have been some concerns regarding the deleterious effects on the environment of such heavy tourist activity in the region. This report will investigate the current status of tourist development in Catalonia and future plans for further promotion and marketing of the region abroad and domestically. The effects on the environment will be considered in conjunction with these developments and plans. Tourism in Catalonia Meetings tourism, in particular, has produced a boom for Spain’s tourist industry, garnering third place as the meeting destination in the world, behind only the US and Germany, according to the International Congresses and Conferences Association. The Spain Convention Bureau elaborates, revealing that in 2005, Spain played host to nearly 275 meetings, and 5,800 events, according to the Congress Centres Association. These figures translate to a significant portion of Spain’s GDP, and Catalonia, and its capital city Barcelona has been consistent in its contributions to this industry. (Spain maintains its leading position as a tourist destination 2006) The success of Spain as a meeting tourism destination is based, according to the Spain Convention Bureau, on the facilities they offer such as a network of hotel for all needs and budgets, venues equipped to handle congresses and meetings, easy access both by land and air and a hospitable climate. The boom in this tourism sector is projected to expand by the World Travel and Tourism Council to 59% in 2007 as compared to predictions of 50% for the world and 25% for the rest of Europe. Costa, Goma and Lopez (2006) stated that Catalonia is noted as an industrial hub because of its geographical location and technology-driven economy and development. It was the popular choice for 27.2% or 2 million of arrivals in 2005, particularly with the French. (Spanish tourism data highlights popularity of Catalonia 2005) A study of the competitive position of Catalonia as compared with other Spanish communities revealed that between 1997 and 2005, the increase in the competitiveness was close to 40%. For domestic tourists, referring to visitors from other parts of Spain, Catalonia accounted for 12.5 million visitors between 2000 and 2002, second only to Andalucia. When not in conferences, visitors to Catalonia have much to do and see. Barcelona, in particular, is the site for many tourist attractions with more than 50 museums, some housing works of Picasso, Joan Miró and Antoni Tàpies, and one, the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya boasting the best noted collections of Romanesque art. A major tourism development for Barcelona in particular was the hosting of the 1992 Olympic Games. It prompted the collaboration of public and private organizations in the city, resulting in several different Strategic Plans of Barcelona, the concept of the “Barcelona model” as a formula for cities abroad and the creation of the Barcelona Region of 1995. Since then, the biggest investments of the city to improve their infrastructure include the construction of the high speed train station of La Sagrera, which effectively shifted the center of the city to the Plaça de Les Glòries –Estació Sagrera axis. The enlargement of the airport was also considerable as well as the building of the City of Justice in the Gran Via, impacting on the economic activities in the area. The “Grec” Summer Festival is world famous for its cultural exhibitions of theatre, music and dance. Other festivals for various genres also showcase their talents in Barcelona. The Palau de la Music and L’Auditori provide space for many world-class events and the Gran Teatre del Liceu is the place to be during the opera seasons. (Barcelona Turisme 2007) The Palace of Catalan Music, designated by UNESCO as a heritage site, is found also in Barcelona and is famous because of its modernisme catalan (nouveau art) architecture, designed by Lluís Domènechi i Monatner for the Orfeó Catala, whose influence ushered in the Renaixença or Catalan Rebirth. (Palau de la Musica Catalana 2007) Sharing the architectural limelight are the works of Antoni Gaudi including the Sagrada Familia, Parc Güell, Palau Güell and Casa Mila. Gaudi was a famous Catalan architect with the nouveau art (Modernisme) movement, gaining recognition sometime in the late 1880s. (Catalonia, 2007) Elsewhere in Catalonia UNESCO has designated other World Heritage sites. In the city of Tarragona, tourists can take their fill of the Roman ruins of Tarraco. Two walls surrounding the city have names: Portal del Roser and Portal de Sant Antoni. Other attractions of Tarragona include: Tarragona International Dixieland Festival, held the week before Holy Week; Tarragona International Fireworks Display, held every 1st week of July; and Santa Tecla Festival, held between September 15 and 24 every year since 1321, considered an important traditional festival in Spain. (Tarragona 2007) Also of note is the Monastery of Santa Maria de Poblet in the county of Conca de Barberà, also in Tarragon restored in the 1940s. It was the seat of the Aragon kings since James I. It formed one of the Cistercian triangle, the other two monasteries being the Vallbona de les Monges and Santes Creus. (Poblet Monastery 2007) Environmental Issues Tourism in general takes a toll on the environment in one form or the other, especially on native species. It is primarily due to the influx of large numbers of people in one area that normally would not occur. Zedan (2004) notes that the direct use of natural resources to accommodate this influx can be overwhelming and are typically concentrated on what are considered tourist spots beaches, bodies of water and mountains which are also the natural habitat of native species. Moreover, the amount of water needed by tourist accommodations such as hotels and golf courses necessarily deplete the supply, not to mention the release of the added waste products which may not have been adequately treated could seriously damage marine and coastal habitats. Lastly, the amount of gases released from the transportation activities of tourists in, out and around a tourist spot may reach a significant amount depending on the number of people to frequent an area. It has been established earlier that Catalonia is a prime tourist destination and welcomes 2 million visitors during the summer months. Studies have shown that it has taken its toll on the community’s resources. Of particular concern is the water supply, which is a concern all over in Spain with more than half of the country suffering under a severe water shortage. The areas surrounding Catalonia, Andalusia and Valencia, according to Crawford (2005), are the hardest hit during summer because of the tourism industry, where the population more than doubles. The loss in agricultural goods resulting from the drought is approximately US$ 1.9 Billion, centred principally in Andalusia, which is olive-producing country. In order to accommodate the growing number of visitors to Catalonia, there have been significant additions in terms of infrastructure, but city planners face the problem of providing basic services to the new tourist developments, especially running water. Attempts by the Spanish environment minister Cristina Narbona to encourage water conservation by establishments that heavily use water such as golf courses and hotels were vetoed by the agriculture ministry. Abusos Urban, a group lobbying against real estate development corruption, claims that the government is going beyond the limits of sustainable tourism development. Future plans While Catalonia is a favourite destination for European tourists, the Catalonia government is not resting on its laurels. Plans to expand its market have already begun. Golf is one of the reasons that visitors flock to Catalonia. The oldest golf course was created in 1914, but it was only in the 1990s that development in this sector flourished, mostly in Costa Brava and Costa Daurada. In preparation for the European golf tour, the PGA de Catalunya in Costa Brava, designed by Neil Coles and Angel Gallardo, became the site for the Spanish Open in April 2000 after it hosted the Sarazen World Open in October of 1999. The International Association of Golf Tour Operators awarded the “Best Emerging Golf Destination of the World” Costa Brava in 2000. (Denham, 2004) In terms of numbers, Andalucia trumps Catalonia in golf courses, but history has proven that Catalonian courses are of better quality besides being aesthetically better situated with the Mediterrenean Sea and Pyrenees providing background sceneries. While some water supply issues are in the fore, advanced water treatment and desalination techniques are slated to alleviate these problems to a certain degree. Plans to build more golf courses in Catalonia along these lines are currently underway. (Denham, 2004) The Scots are also seeing the potential of Catalonia, not in golf courses, but as an industry partner. At a Scottish trade mission to Catalonia held in Barcelona in 2003, Scottish trade and tourism ministers pointed out the advantage of fostering ties with Scotland as an important part of Catalonia’s purpose to expand its European market with the addition of new countries joining the European Community. The EC accounted for 70% of Catalonia exports, 55% of Scottish ones. Expansion can only increase opportunities for development, and small open economis like that of Scotland and Catalonia can only benefit from collaboration in economic strategies. (Scotland-Catalonia trade mission, 2004) In 2005, Catalonia tourism officials went further along this international alliance tack by initiating ties with India whose technology explosion has created an impressive 200 million-strong middle class. It is the purpose of Catalonia to capture this market for its tourism potential as more and more Indians are finding their way come tourism season to Europe. (Barcelona Tourism Board visit India 2005) In May of 2006, the organizers of the 7th Annual GNOME User and Developer Euopean Conference (GUADEC) attracted software users and businesses of the GNOME free operating environment for personal computers when it held the conference in Barcelona. Local business communities were encouraged to attend to showcase developments in the sector. The GUADEC is in line with the Catalonia government’s policy that promotes free software development, and such events will promote Catalonia as the destination of choice for these types of conferences. This could prove to a valuable niche market as the growing trend for free operating platforms is slowly gaining momentum. “Turisme de Catalunya presented the Brand Pyrenees’ tourist offer to the tourist sector business people in Valencia” (2005) in efforts to capture more of the domestic tourist market, has targeted the Valencian population in promoting the attractions of the Pyrenees as a domestic tourist attraction part of the Pyrenees Agreement, an agreement that targets this area of Catalonia between the “Catalonian Ministries of Trade, Tourism and Consumer Affairs, Territorial Policies and Public Works, the Tourist Boards of the Lleida and Girona provincial councils, and the Conselh Generau d’Aran and was signed in May 2005”. The campaign was addressed to members of the press and travel agents of Valencia. Back in the international scene, in anticipation of the World Travel Market fair held in London in 2007, Catalonia launched its international autumn and winter tourist and promotion campaign for the European market in the UK capital, strengthening its position as the destination of choice for the European market. The campaign, costing more than 1.3 million euros, included advertising on television and print media circulating in Europe. The idea was to promote Catalonia not only during the summer months, effectively de-seasonalising it. The campaign motto was Catalonia: A Brilliant View. (Catalonia launches its international autumn tourist promotion campaign at London’s World Travel Market 2006) Catalonia was singled out as a beneficiary of the European Commission’s 2006 Structural Funds to assist in the development of the autonomous community in the areas of: 1) improved productive infrastructure by developing small and medium enterprises; 2) improved environmental management; 3) improved research and development by encouraging a knowledge-based society; 4) improved transport and energy networks by construction of wider roads and more transport centres as well as better energy distribution management; and 5) improvement of urban areas through the use of community assistance and local development initiatives. The EC has earmarked 1.2355 Billion euros for these initiatives. (Catalonia Objective 2 Programme, 2007) Discussion The popularity of Catalonia is a source of great ride for the Catalan people but the impact on the Catalonia’s natural resources and biodiversity, as sustainable development comes close to acceptable limits, is a genuine concern. However, the benefits tourism brings may serve, indirectly, as the solution to these environmental concerns. This is through the economic growth brought in by 2 million foreign tourists a year. The foreign-exchange earnings and employment and business opportunities notwithstanding, such prominence attracts outside investments and assistance that will encourage the preservation of that which makes it such a popular spot, that of its natural environment, such as the European Community, which is its biggest market. Zedan (2004) uses as an illustration the case of Costa Rica, whose strong eco-tourism industry made it a successful marriage between environment and industry. The educational value of this type of tourism development is also incalculable in the face of the increasing concern for environmental correctness. Recommendations for Future Development Originally, Catalonia was developed as an industrial hub, which is why it is one of the favoured destinations for meetings and symposiums. This would suggest that technologically, Catalonia has a supply of research and development experts that could best assist in gearing future development to further enhance this desirability, as well as capitalize on the natural and man-made tourist attractions it already has in abundance. One possible future development is to address the problem of the water supply. Instead of channelling existing supplies to the tourist spots and depriving the rest of the community of an adequate supply, more efficient delivery and recycling systems should be investigated. Alternatively or concurrently, other sources should be investigated, and the proximity of the Mediterranean Sea and the Pyrenees may prove to be a valuable asset. Another area in which development would enhance tourism in Catalonia, according to a study by Martin (2004) that showed that while there is some correlation between climate and tourist preference, climate alone is not the sole predictor of the perception of Catalonia as a tourist destination. Emphasis on year-round promotions and as well as favoured nation status to untapped countries such as Korea and Japan would effectively extend the seasonal fluctuations of the industry, not only concentrated through the summer months. Conclusion The Autonomous Community of Catalonia has gone a long way since it was the seat of the kings of Aragon. It has established itself as a destination of choice for technological conferences and conventions as well as a bonafide tourist spot due to its abundance of historical monuments, architectural treasures, festivals and natural beauty spots such as beaches and mountains. Well-built hotels and award-winning golf courses appeal to the more urban taste. It would only be a matter of proper environmental management and well-considered alliances to make this small autonomous community a force to be reckoned with both as an industrial hub and a tourist destination. Hopefully, in the long run, significant infrastructure developments within sustainable environmental limits will become a reality. References ‘Barcelona Spain tourism: history’ 2007, Sidestep. Retrieved March 2, 2007 from http://www.sidestep.com/travel-info-t0045020044-history_barcelona_spain ‘Barcelona tourism board visit India’ 2005, Barcelona Reporter. 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