Interview with Cristina Lagé, Director, Directorate General of Tourism (DGT)

15 Jan Interview with Cristina Lagé, Director, Directorate General of Tourism (DGT)

Why has Catalonia become such a sought-after destination for US tourists?

For a tourist destination to succeed, it must have a narrative — a story. It needs to be a place where one feels warmly welcomed, and this is tied to the culture of hospitality. Additionally, there must be something to do, even if it is just enjoying the view. It should also be a place that accepts your culture while inviting you to experience its own. Above all, it should make you feel comfortable, which is why having good infrastructure and mobility is so important. Catalonia is a well-connected destination with the United States. We embrace sharing our history, gastronomy and our relaxed lifestyle and Mediterranean way of life. These elements appeal to the North American public. I am a strong advocate of American culture. We create a perfect synergy by combining the agility and sharpness of the USA with our capacity for reflection and analysis.

There are two emerging segments of interest for visitors from the United States: history and gastronomy. Catalonia is rich in culture, and our deep cultural heritage fascinates North Americans. From Tarragona, where the Romans first entered, you can trace the history of the world by traveling through Catalonia from north to south. Gastronomy is not just about eating and drinking but about everything surrounding it. The Mediterranean way of eating is more relaxed. We understand that we are what we eat, and food is an important part of health. The focus on a healthy lifestyle — which includes walking, staying active, eating well and enjoying a glass of wine that supports local workers — is highly appealing. North Americans who come to Catalonia are well-prepared and informed about where they are going and what they want to see, and this aligns perfectly with what we aim to achieve.

What kind of cultural shift is necessary to achieve sustainable tourism in Catalonia?

Tourism itself isn’t changing, society is. Catalonia understands something fundamental and something that I aim to promote over the next four years: the tourist as a concept is evolving into that of a temporary resident. While a tourist merely passes through, a temporary resident becomes part of our society. The current problem in some destinations where tourism is seen as excessively intrusive stems from visitors not understanding the importance of sustainable tourism. The future of tourism must move in this direction, and this way of life must become a global shift. Tourism will not stop because the world has become smaller and more accessible and young people feel that traveling is their right — it shapes them. We have democratized tourism; in the past, only the wealthy could travel. This democratization is a treasure that must be protected as the mindset and culture of a traveler is very different from those who are not. We must also protect and rationalize the arrival of visitors. They will be temporary residents, and we will offer them services, culture and security. This balance must be preserved.

Tourism is the industry of happiness. From this foundation, we should do everything necessary to regulate it. No destination in the world can be considered a good one if its residents are not happy. To ensure happiness for everyone, we need to help visitors understand that they are not just tourists but temporary residents for five days. They should feel connected to the locals. There should not be a distinction between tourists and residents. The issue of tourist apartments is crucial because if the people who live here have to pay exorbitant rental prices, it is detrimental to tourism. Turning the city into a theme park filled with only tourists makes it lose its appeal. Regarding tourist apartments, the reality in Barcelona is unique. Barcelona is an incredible brand, but Catalonia is vast, with wonderful areas that are not oversaturated. Barcelona is a fantastic capital city, but Catalonia is much more than Barcelona. We need to focus our efforts on attracting tourists to the region. Areas like Tarragona and Girona do not have issues with tourist apartments because they are well-balanced. Ultimately, we do not want unregulated tourist apartments. If these assets have a license number, pay taxes and are managed professionally, they are acceptable. It is also essential to set a reasonable carrying capacity for the city. There should be a percentage based on the population and the number of buildings that is constantly under strict control.

What efforts are being made to position Catalonia as a leading smart tourism destination?

Catalonia possesses a heavily digitized tourism sector. Digitalization should not be thought of solely as a booking program. The process happens through many layered initiatives such as a bike rental company no longer requiring paper reservations by using QR codes or as simple as helping a business create a website that can sell online. Digitalization can happen at even the simplest levels. This year, we have allocated $8.31 million to train Catalonia’s tourism sector workers in digitalization. Digitalization is directly linked to environmental and social sustainability. It also helps reduce costs and facilitates the work of both users and employees. The allocated funds are part of our goal to elevate the status of tourism sector workers by providing training, offering fair wages, helping them find housing and emphasizing the importance of their work.

What key areas is the Directorate General of Tourism prioritizing to enhance efficiencies in the region’s tourism offerings?

Around 70% of tourism today operates in the digital world, making it more sustainable. We need to train small business owners because larger businesses have the advantage of more investment capacity. Larger entities can hire companies to solve problems. In Catalonia, more than 90% of businesses are small and medium-sized enterprises with fewer than 60 employees or fewer than 10 employees. These smaller businesses do not have the capacity to hire a specialized company, which is why we must intervene. In the past, we used to place ads on avenues, but we now target specific customers such as tourists who are interested in culture, food or healthy lifestyles. There are many new tools and types of advertisements today that help us reach our target audience. While these methods are more expensive, it is more sustainable because the group we are targeting is already interested in what we are offering. We must invest more than ever in promotion because this type of tourism segmentation is costly but effective. Tourism allows us to share with the world who we were, who we are and who we want to be. There is no other industry that reaches 32 million clients like tourism does. We want them to return and share their experiences with others.

What strategies are in place to attract more US visitors to Catalonia?

We have some important campaigns, and we are present at fairs. We are at the virtual doorstep of North Americans. We have a slogan: “Visit, Invest, Live.” When someone visits as a tourist, we want their visit to be an impeccable story. If investors enter, we want them to return with specific reasons to invest such as legal security. The latter is generally done through entities like ACCIÓ and major corporate actions. We partner with operators and airlines and work to maintain direct flights to the USA. Barcelona and Catalonia are major destinations for meetings, incentives, conferences and exhibitions, and the North American visitor is a key consumer of this segment. Companies want to send a message to their employees and clients through destination branding, which is why not every destination works for every company. The Mobile World Congress is an event that every country should have. It is located in Barcelona because we offer a warm welcome and fit into company branding as a hip and intelligent destination.

The increase in international tourist arrivals is enormous reaching nearly 20 million in 2024.

We are still recovering from the pandemic, which greatly affected the tourism sector. However, with the new volume of international tourists, particularly from the US market, we have reached a milestone that surpasses 2019 levels. Catalonia has a greater international impact than a national one, which means that trust and communication are strong. Behind every person arriving from any US destination, there is a lot of targeted work. Behind France and the United Kingdom, the USA represents the third-largest group of visitors to Catalonia, and this is not by chance; US visitors are the kind of visitors we want. While our top two source markets for visitors are our largest based on proximity, the US market is a strategic choice.

What are your top three priorities as the new Director of the Directorate General of Tourism in 2025?

My first priority is to help society understand tourism as an industry. Tourism is not just people coming for leisure, but rather a complex system involving tourist guides, airlines, restaurants, companies and so on. My second priority is to protect our culture and ensure it is clearly communicated. For example, our local culture is not only about museums and popular landmarks. My third priority is to eliminate the distinction between tourists and locals. The city should function as a whole; it should be a place where a person from Arkansas feels at home. If we achieve this, tourism will truly be as it should be, the industry of happiness. Tourism drives mobility, security, urbanism, sports and more. Tourism is an incredible industry that generates a lot of revenue. The challenge is to make society understand that tourism is part of it. We need to redistribute the inflow of visitors and create quality tourism, which does not necessarily mean expensive tourism. While there are many things to align, we remain committed to making it happen.