World Travel Market takes Barcelona as a Model

31-12-2018 | Turisme de Barcelona

Turisme de Barcelona returned from the World Travel Market in London with extremely positive feelings: it was involved in many of the debates and reflection sessions, and in the name of the city received two awards recognising tourism management and promotion.

The Consortium had a very busy diary, with around fifteen meetings; it attended and took part in half a dozen lectures and promotion seminars, and had a presence at three institutional and representation events. The managing director of Turisme de Barcelona, Joan Torrella, participated actively in many sessions organised by the event to discuss the challenges faced by the tourism industry, whether concerning the destination's offering or certain phenomena such as tourism overcrowding.

Barcelona was recognised for its Destination Marketing Strategy, and in particular drew attention for receiving two of the five World Responsible Tourism awards; the Overall Award for its ability to handle management and promotion holistically, and the Best for Managing Success, in the context of sustainable tourism and the debate about tourism overcrowding. Joan Torrella, who collected the award, commented on the city's success in handling the tourism phenomenon from a holistic perspective, ensuring that the destination remains sustainable.